Falling into Place
by congrats-its-a-nerd
Summary: An alternate universe where Ezekiel is slightly more observant, Chris is still an ass, secrets are revealed, and Courtney finally gets a break! ...or not. A Total Drama rewrite.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** _An alternate universe where Ezekiel is slightly more observant, Chris is still an ass, secrets are revealed, and Courtney finally gets a break! ...or not. A Total Drama rewrite._

 **Rating:** T

 **Author's Notes:** First chapter takes place right after both lunch and the challenge, just in case anyone wanted some clarifications. First story for this fandom, hope you guys like it! I really hope I got the characterization down though...

* * *

"Hey Zeke."

Lazily waving over to his toque-wearing teammate, Harold let out a grunt as he took a seat next to the homeschooler. The other boy barely spared the red-head a glance, his gaze fixed on the female weight-lifter working out in front of him.

"It's Ezekiel." He corrected simply.

Harold shrugged, turning to observe Eva lift up weights that would easily break both his arms. He was originally practicing his martial arts skills in the woods for tomorrow's next challenge (especially considering the fact that his team failed today's challenge), but after DJ ran past him screeching out 'bear', the nerd didn't think twice before running back to camp with his black belt between his legs.

Several seconds of silence passed between the pair before Ezekiel finally spoke up.

"Eva's really strong, isn't she?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, she's pretty ripped. It wouldn't surprise me if she could snap people like Duncan or DJ like twigs." He shuddered. "You don't have a crush on her, do you?"

The prairie boy raised an eyebrow, confused. "Uh… I think she would crush me first, eh."

"No, I mean – just never mind."

Ezekiel shrugged, frowning. "It's just…" he seemed to struggle for the right words before continuing. "I never knew girls could be strong."

Harold blinked. "…What?"

"Girls are weaker than guys." He repeated, sounding as if that was an actual fact. "My dad always told me that."

The red-head stared at his teammate with an incredulous look. The homeschooler began to grow uncomfortable under the nerd's gaze, awkwardly scratching his chin. "…Am I wrong?"

"Dude…" Harold groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in disbelief. "Please tell me you didn't say anything like that out loud."

"No…?"

"Good." The red-head let out a sigh. "Gosh, I don't even wanna imagine what would happen to you if Eva, or any of the girls heard you say that." He turned to the other boy with a serious look on his face. "Look man, forget everything your dad said. The world's changed a lot since his time. Girls can be just as strong as guys, if not stronger."

The nerd threw a wary glance at Eva. " _She's_ living proof of that. Got it dude? I don't wanna see you get voted off early just because of a simple mistake."

"Oh." The brunette stared down. "Thank you."

"Don't sweat it man." Harold chuckled proudly, throwing an arm around the other boy's shoulders. "Stick with me, and we'll be headed to the winner's circle in no time. Just call me, _sensei_."

Ezekiel simply raised an amused eyebrow as Harold continued on, bragging about his so-called 'skills' with an arm still slung around the homeschooler.

* * *

"This is unbelievable! I can't be the first to go! I'm a CIT, for crying out loud!"

Whimpering to herself as she paced through the forest, Courtney bit down on her fist as she thought back to today's unfortunate events.

Not only was she one of the few who refused to jump the cliff and ended up with a _stupid_ chicken hat; thanks to that _delinquent's_ comments at lunch, the brunette just knew the odds fell even _further_ from her favor.

She let out a defeated groan as she collapsed against the back wall of the guys' cabin, burying her face in her palms in utter embarrassment. If she came back as the first one voted off the show, she would be a complete laughingstock back at her school!

Any chance at her becoming the school president would be shot to hell, all the d-bags at Yearbook Committee would make it a point to put ' _Reality TV'S Biggest Loser_ ', and her parents…

Courtney shook her head, lightly slapping her cheeks. ' _No time for whining. I have to win this. I'm not going down without a fight!_ '

Holding her head high, she turned to walk back into camp when a familiar voice spoke up, freezing her in place.

"So who are you voting off tonight?" The voice she recognized as Harold questioned. "I'm going for Courtney. No offense to her but gosh, I agree with Duncan on this one. She didn't jump for us, and DJ has more to offer."

The CIT's heart sank, her fingers gripping her side in disappointment.

Another voice answered, a thick Canadian accent Courtney recognized as Ezekiel's sounding indifferent. "I'm voting for Duncan, eh."

She blinked in shock.

"Duncan? Why him?"

"He just rubs me the wrong way. I mean, one of the first things he did when he came here was threaten that Noah guy. Not only that, he honestly doesn't have much to give to our team. We already have Eva, Tyler, DJ, and Geoff for strength. I don't know about that Bridgette girl, but Courtney says she's a uh, Z-I-T and she seems pretty smart."

The CIT frowned at the mistake, but let out a quiet hum of agreement.

"That's true… It would be bad to have a team of mostly muscle. We don't know if all the challenges are going to be physical."

Courtney heard a thoughtful noise from the red-head. "I'm changing my vote. I'm going with you, Zeke."

"It's Ezekiel, eh."

The brunette heard a soft shuffle of feet, followed by footsteps and quiet conversation she didn't quite register slowly fading away as the pair walked away from the wood cabin.

Courtney stood on the grassy dirt for several seconds before finally moving, an idea to win back the favor of her fellow teammates firmly planting itself in the CIT's head.

'Okay, I already know two people aren't voting for me,' she thought to herself, approaching a chatting Eva and Bridgette. 'I doubt I can convince the guys, so I'll try the next best thing. We gals have to stick together after all… hopefully.'

"Hey girls!" the brunette greeted, flashing a fake smile at the pair. "Is it okay if I talk to you two for a quick second?"

Eva raised an eyebrow and shared a look with an unsure Bridgette. "Look Miss ' _CIT_ ', we know that you're going to try and convince us not to vote for you, but what Piercings said back at lunch was right."

Bridgette looked apologetic. "I'm sorry Courtney."

"N-No wait, just hear me out!" The brunette quickly stepped in front of the girls, forcing back a nervous stutter as she continued. "Look, I know I messed up on today's challenge, but I _will_ help you guys in later challenges, I swear! I have more to offer than Duncan, at least!"

The weight-lifter seemed impressed by the bravery in her statement, but remained unconvinced. "You saying we vote him off rather than you? If I remember correctly," she jabbed an accusing finger at the chicken hat still sitting on the other girl's head. "he's not the one wearing a chicken hat."

"W-Well," she swallowed. "I have knowledge that someone like _him_ could never have! I'm-"

"A CIT, yadda yadda yadda, we've heard all this before."

Courtney mentally swore. Her defense was falling apart, and her teammates were beginning to look bored and just about ready to leave.

No. The brunette closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had no other choice, and she was desperate not to be the first voted off.

"Well, what about the fact that he's a threat to our safety?" The CIT turned to the uncomfortable blonde standing beside Eva. "Remember when Noah first came here, and the first thing Duncan did to the poor guy was threaten to _stab_ his face with a _knife_? Who's to say he won't snap and try to hurt any one of _us_? Hasn't he even been in and out of _juvie_? I'm pretty sure Chris can confirm that."

Eva's eyes widened as she turned to Bridgette for confirmation. The surfer looked uncomfortable at being put on the spot, but nodded slowly. "Actually… I do remember Duncan pointing something sharp at Noah. I… I wasn't paying that much attention, but now that you mention it…"

"And Chris let someone like that on the show?" Courtney shook her head, observing Eva's nervous behavior and Bridgette's growing fear. "Not only that, even if he wasn't dangerous, we don't need him anyway. The only thing he can likely contribute to the Killer Bass is strength, and you Eva, practically carry our entire team in that category. Hell, I'm even going to come out and say you're the strongest person in this entire camp!"

Eva snorted in agreement, the brunette smiling back as she stroked the weight-lifter's ego. She turned to Bridgette, who seemed more fearful of Courtney's image of Duncan over anything else.

"So what do you say? Vote for Duncan instead of me?"

Eva looked thoughtful and shrugged. "I'll think about it. I will say though that you make a good point."

Bridgette didn't say anything, opting to stare awkwardly at the ground. "Maybe…"

Courtney gave the pair a shaky smile as she watched the two girls walk off, Bridgette running into both Sadie and Katie before seeming to strike a conversation with the gal pals. The CIT hoped the blonde would mention their talk, but she knew the chances were slim.

This wasn't exactly the answer she wanted, but she knew that the tiny seed of doubt she had planted in their minds was quickly growing into a tree of distrust.

Hopefully, that tree wouldn't die before the bonfire ceremony.

* * *

"Welcome campers, to the very first bonfire ceremony!"

Chris grinned as he walked up to the downtrodden Killer Bass, a plate with exactly ten marshmallows on hand. Several of the losing group's members glared daggers at their excited host, while others seemed indifferent to the man.

He chuckled at their reactions before picking up one of the ten marshmallows, holding it up for the entire group to see. "This right here is a marshmallow. In camp, it is a tasty treat that is eaten around the campfire."

He raised an eyebrow. "Here, it symbolizes survival. The right to stay in the game. When I call your name, come up and receive a marshmallow. When you receive one, you are _safe_. The person that does not receive a marshmallow must immediately walk the dock of shame, board the boat of losers, and leave. And they can never come back."

His eyes narrowed at the nervous teens. " _Ever_."

The group glanced at each other, faces with varying expressions of concern and hope scattered amongst the losers, the mood in the ceremony solemn.

Their host simply grinned. "The first person safe is…. Geoff."

"Alright!" The party animal cheered, standing up to receive his marshmallow before retreating back to his seat.

"Tyler."

The athlete pumped his fist into the air and received his own treat.

"Katie, Sadie."

The pair giggled to each other happily as they ran up to retrieve their marshmallows.

"Bridgette."

The surfer girl nodded and walked over to get her own marshmallow of safety. Courtney eyed her suspiciously as the blonde walked back to her own seat, Bridgette seeming to avoid her gaze before smiling at a waving Geoff.

"Harold."

Ezekiel gave the nerd a congratulatory thumbs-up as the red-head stood up to receive his treat. Harold smiled at the sentiment.

"Ezekiel."

The brunette nodded, walking up to receive his marshmallow. He inspected the squishy treat with a discerning eye before throwing it in his mouth with a shrug. His newfound friend let a hand rest on the prairie boy's shoulder.

"Eva."

The weight lifter let out a grunt as she walked up to Chris, snatching up the sticky treat before walking back to her seat. Duncan eyed her suspiciously as he glanced around, looking confused at why his name had yet to be called.

"And DJ," He handed a marshmallow to the relieved nature-lover. "You are all safe."

Realization seemed to hit the punk like a pair of bricks as he glared darkly at his teammates, muttering out several swears that were sure to be censored once this episode aired on TV. Courtney swallowed, her palms covered in cold sweat as she breathed.

"Campers, this is the final marshmallow of the evening. The contestant who does not receive a marshmallow will be eliminated, never allowed to return to the island again."

The CIT shot a dark glare at the male teen, who in turn raised a finger that once again, would be censored. The brunette rolled her eyes in distaste while their host raised an amused eyebrow.

"The final marshmallow,"

Courtney began to bite her nails, her fingers trembling in fear.

"Of the night goes to…"

Duncan swallowed thickly, his gaze fixed on the final sweet treat.

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"Courtney!"

The brunette felt her legs nearly give out from relief as she took a shaky breath and walked up, a tired smile on her lips as she gratefully ate the last marshmallow.

Duncan's jaw dropped as he let out several colorful swears and shot up, shooting daggers at all his other teammates as he pointed an aggravating finger at the CIT. "YOU CHOSE THIS [ **BLEEP** ] [ **BLEEP** ] OVER ME?! SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE [ **BLEEP** ] IS WRONG WITH YOU [ **BLEEP** ]!"

Bridgette's eyes widened, a terrified look on her face as she shrunk back in fear. Eva on the other hand, took a fighting stance, more than ready to knock Duncan's block off if he tried anything.

Courtney smiled victoriously, turning to the two girls with an 'I-told-you-so' expression.

Harold glanced down at Ezekiel, who looked back at him with an indifferent shrug.

"Cool it hotshot," Chris commented, watching with an entertained expression as Chef grabbed the punk and began dragging him to the dock of shame. Duncan let out a barrage of swears as Chris leaned in to talk to him. "Look on the bright side, it's just like juvie! It's where all the losers are."

The host laughed as Duncan struggled against the much stronger Chef, enjoying the scene thoroughly as the burly man tightly tied the punk tightly to the boat before sending it off with a grin as its captive screamed in anger and frustration.

Courtney grinned victoriously as she ran onto the dock, waving mockingly at the departing boat. "Bye bye, tough guy!"

"SCREW YOU!"

Chris laughed as Courtney walked back to the bonfire, grinning as he turned to the remaining Killer Bass members. "And with that campers, the rest of you are safe. You can head on back to your cabins."

The group nodded, each looking worn out by today's events as they all walked back to their living quarters.

Courtney smiled knowingly as she passed by both Bridgette and Eva. The two girls nodded back to her.

"Gosh, I'm glad I voted for Duncan," Harold commented, walking alongside Ezekiel. "When he started yelling at us, I thought he would bring out some kind of hidden knife and start stabbing us or something. Like in those slasher flicks. Usually not in the good ones though. I like it better if they foreshadow stuff like that, it makes it seem less like an asspull."

The prairie boy raised a confused eyebrow but neglected to comment, yawning as the pair walked into their cabin.

Their gleeful host watched them from the bonfire, turning to the camera with a charismatic smile.

"And there you have it! The very first elimination of the season. Who will be the next to walk the dock of shame? Tune in next time to find out, right here on Total! Drama! Island!"

* * *

 _ **Voting Confessionals**_

* * *

 **Geoff**

 _Geoff shrugs, not looking quite that apologetic. "Sorry dudette, but Duncan's right. You should've jumped. It wasn't that bad."_

* * *

 **Tyler**

 _Tyler shrugs. "Sorry Courtney. Gotta vote someone off. Nothing personal."_

* * *

 **Katie & Sadie**

 _Katie and Sadie holds each other with fearful expressions on their faces. "We were supposed to vote for Courtney, but then Bridgette told us about Duncan and how scary he is!"_

 _Sadie shakes her head. "Poor Noah!"_

" _Oh my gosh, I was just thinking the same thing!"_

" _Oh my gosh, me too!"_

" _EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"_

* * *

 **Bridgette**

 _Bridgette looks down with an unsure expression on her face. When she finally looks at the camera, she sighs in defeat._

" _I hope I made the right choice… I'm sorry Duncan…"_

* * *

 **Harold**

 _Harold shrugs. "Sorry man, but Zeke made a good point."_

* * *

 **Ezekiel**

 _Ezekiel frowns thoughtfully at the camera. "There's something about Duncan that just doesn't feel right…"_

* * *

 **Eva**

 _Eva snorts, crossing her arms. "No way in hell am I letting some maniac run loose in the island. And besides, even if all the crap Courtney said about Duncan wasn't true,"_

 _She smiles confidently, flexing both her arms. "She is right about us not needing another tough guy to bring us down. I'm all this team needs."_

* * *

 **DJ**

 _DJ awkwardly scratches the back of his head. "Sorry Courtney."_

* * *

 **Courtney**

 _Courtney looks up with a pleading and desperate look on her face. "Please, oh please don't let me be the first one voted off! I'm begging whatever power out there to take Duncan, not me!"_

* * *

 **Duncan**

 _Duncan grins confidently at the camera. "Sorry princess, but it looks like you and your CIT butt will be headed on back home."_

* * *

 **Ending Notes:** I kicked off Duncan instead of either DJ or Courtney... Anyone surprised? Mildly annoyed? Confused? Tell me in the reviews! All constructive criticism is welcome!

It's rather long for a beginning, but ah well.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:** Well this took a while. Hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

 **Recap**

" _Last time on Total Drama Island: Twenty-two campers arrived and learned that they'll be spending the next eight weeks at a crusty old summer camp. The campers were faced with their first challenge; jumping off a cliff into shark-infested waters, and while most campers took the plunge, a few were forced to wear the dreaded chicken hat. At the campfire ceremony, it all came down to two campers. Courtney has experience as a CIT in summer camp, but refused to jump. And although Duncan took the leap of faith, his shady reputation caused some doubt and fear within his teammates at the Killer Bass. In the end, the first camper voted off Total Drama Island – was Duncan; proving that appearances do speak louder than words. Cuss words, more specifically."_

" _Who will be voted off this week? Find out tonight; in Total! Drama! Island!"_

* * *

" _Ahhh_ …"

Chris took a deep breath of the morning air as he turned to the camera with a gleeful smile. "Isn't it such a beautiful morning at Camp Wawanakwa? The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the teens are sleeping peacefully in their cabins… What more can a thoughtful, well-meaning host ask for?"

The older man grinned, holding up a megaphone in one hand, and an airhorn in the other. "Good thing I'm neither of those things."

Without warning, he blared the already loud airhorn into the megaphone, turning the intense honk into a deafening shriek.

A loud, Canadian accent-laced scream erupted from the Killer Bass's cabin, effectively waking up any of the campers who somehow survived the first rude awakening.

A loud 'thunk' resounded from the Screaming Gophers's cabin, followed by a string of muffled curses. Leshawna soon appeared at an window, a visible bump on her head as she glared daggers at the host. "It's seven in the morning! Do I _look_ like a farmer to you?"

Beth appeared beside her, hair completely disheveled and eyeglasses tangled in the messy brown locks. Dried drool was evident on her face, much to the other dark-skinned girl's visible displeasure. "Even farmers don't wake up this early…"

Chris laughed at the teens' expense, yelling into the microphone, "Wakey wakey campers, it's challenge time!"

One by one, the sleepy teenagers piled out into the campsite, all looking varying degrees of tired and irritated.

Eva was listening to music on her MP3 player, brows furrowed as she crossed her arms. Cody took notice of the weight-lifter and grinned, bending down with the intent to mess with the girl's device. The angry girl quickly took notice of this and grabbed his hand, squeezing it with enough force for it to let out several crackling noises.

He whimpered in pain, quickly squirming out of her grasp to run behind Owen, who looked equally terrified. She let out a warning snarl before returning her full attention to the host.

"Good morning! I hope you all slept well," he said insincerely, looking more amused than anything else. Several of the campers rolled their eyes at the man's behavior. "Well I hope you guys are ready, because your next challenge is about to start in exactly one minute!"

"Uh, Chris?" Owen shyly raised a hand. "I don't think that's enough time to eat breakfast."

The host simply laughed. "Oh don't worry Owen, you'll get breakfast." He grinned at the huge blonde. "Right after you complete your twenty kilometer run around the lake."

The huge teen's face fell. Eva's brow twitched in annoyance. "I didn't know you had such a _great_ sense of humor, _Chris_." The weight-lifter deadpanned.

"I know - I'm pretty great."

The black-haired girl growled, but otherwise remained silent. Courtney placed a comforting hand on the other's shoulder. "Just ignore him and don't let it get to you. He's always full of himself."

Eva stared back at the other girl, huffing as she crossed her arms. "Whatever... but thanks for the sentiment, I guess."

The CIT smiled.

* * *

 **Confessional: Courtney**

 _Courtney seems thoughtful as she stares at the camera. "Yesterday's close call got me thinking – it's a lot better to have people on your side than against. If I hadn't convinced Eva and Bridgette to vote for Duncan, I definitely wouldn't have made it past day one. Making friends and guaranteeing their vote would definitely get me farther than just acting competitively."_

 _She sighs, awkwardly scratching her chin. "But honestly though, I'm not a particularly social person... This is going to be tough..."_

* * *

"Anyway," he waved off the two girls before pointing at his watch. "You have thirty seconds!"

The host watched as the teens took their running positions with an interested grin. He raised a hand just as everyone took their places. "Okay runners! On your marks…"

Justin winked at the other teens, eliciting some squeals of delight from the girls and Owen.

"Get set…"

" **GO**!"

Most of the teens quickly shot off at Chris's command, leaving several who were too tired to move at the starting line. Tyler and Leshawna were two of those few, the black girl still nursing her bruised head with a wince while the athlete sat on the forest floor, hunched over from exhaustion.

The pair stalled for several seconds before finally getting a move on, Leshawna quickly gaining precious ground from Tyler.

Eva, Trent, Courtney, Cody, Geoff, DJ, and Justin led the group, with Bridgette and Beth close behind. Leshawna had caught up to the leading group, and was now on the edge of closing the gap between her and Beth. Noah was running a little farther back, followed by a still exhausted, but steadily catching up Tyler.

The ones who weren't in the leading group had long since slowed to a walk, or in Owen's unfortunate case, collapsed in a small stream.

Unlike most of the tired teens walking close him, Ezekiel looked otherwise unbothered by the whole race and had yet to break a sweat. Harold on the other hand, was sweating profusely and breathing hard as he gripped his chest, pausing to catch his breath as he turned to his homeschooled friend.

" _G-Gosh_ … How are you _not_ tired yet, Zeke?"

"It's Ezekiel," he corrected, stopping to wait for his teammate. The prairie boy shrugged. "I'm used to it. My dad always brings us camping, but he keeps getting my mom and I lost. You'll need to have a lot of stamina to outrun a bear after all, eh."

Harold stared at him. "…Your life sounds really awesome man."

Ezekiel could only laugh awkwardly, caught off-guard by the nerd's out-of-breath compliment but still flattered nonetheless. Gwen passed by the pair as they began to walk again, shooting the two males a glare. "Don't walk beside me."

The homeschooler raised an eyebrow, confused. The red head just sighed, patting his back as they made their way to the finish line, the goth making it a point to avoid them.

Heather was on the far end of the race, walking at a leisurely pace as several of her teammates who passed her by shot her angry glares. She simply brushed them off, looking unconcerned.

The queen bee huffed once a collapsed Owen appeared in her path, desperately slurping the water of the small stream to quench his thirst. She rolled her eyes, holding her head high as she stepped on the huge blonde, using him as an unwilling bridge across the stream.

Owen groaned, forcing himself up before jogging on forward alongside the black-haired teen.

Chris observed the teens from a few meters away, grinning.

* * *

 **Mess Hall**

At that point in the race, most of the campers had already reached their destination, only half of the Screaming Gophers sitting at their own table, and only two missing from the Killer Bass's. Eva smiled confidently before shooting a warning glare at Cody, who shrunk in fear.

The teenagers seated at the mess hall watched the entranceway with bated breath as the sound of footsteps grew closer and closer.

Without warning, Owen burst into the room with an unconscious Noah on hand, looking distressed as he yelled for space. Gwen, Heather, Lindsay, and Beth followed, each looking varying degrees of exhausted.

Finally, the two remaining members of the Killer Bass appeared at the doorway. Ezekiel walked in, carrying Harold bridal-style as the red-head moaned about having heart palpitations.

Both Eva and Courtney walked up to the pair, the weight-lifter giving off a murderous aura as she glared daggers at the pair. "What do you think you were doing?!"

The CIT sighed, face-palming. "Thanks to you two, we just lost the challenge!"

"Wait a minute... If they lost…" Gwen's eyes widened. "That means we won!"

Owen paused in giving Noah CPR before cheering, the rest of the Gophers following suit.

"Hold your horses guys," Chris laughed, immediately bringing the celebration to a halt. "That wasn't the challenge."

Heather's face dropped. " _What_."

The host ignored her, walking over to a curtain at the end of the mess hall.

He pulled a rope, revealing a grand feast waiting behind the curtain. Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and other delicious food as far as the eye could see, neatly lined up on a single table for all the campers to collectively drool over.

Chris chuckled at their reactions, motioning to the banquet with a raised eyebrow. "Who's hungry?"

* * *

 **Confessional: Owen**

 _Owen grins at the camera, obviously excited. "The buffet table; it was beautiful! There was turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, baked beans, pancakes, maple syrup, chicken, b-bacon…"_

 _He quietly sniffs, overwhelmed by the sheer thought of such delicious food as a tear runs down his cheek._

* * *

Within just a few minutes, the buffet had been reduced to nothing but bones, empty plates, and some _very_ satisfied campers.

Chris stared at the full teens, happy that his mission was a success. He quickly jumped onto a table and spoke into his megaphone.

"Alright guys, time for part two of your challenge!"

Owen looked up from his spot in front of the buffet table, leftover gravy coating his lips. "Eating wasn't the second part?"

Trent moaned in frustration. "Haven't we been through enough?"

"Let me think about tha – _no_." Chris smiled charmingly at the glaring guitarist. "It's time for – the _Awake-a-thon_!"

Owen stared. "The wha-?"

"Don't worry," Chris jumped down from the table. "This'll be a breeze! The team with the last camper still awake wins invincibility! Easy as pie."

Heather gave the host an incredulous look. "So, what you're saying is that we did that dumb race and ate all that food _just_ so it would be harder for us to stay awake?"

"Ooooh! Heather's right on the mark!"

The queen bee snarled.

"Great talk. Anyway… MOVE MOVE MOVE!" The older man shooed off the campers, the teens once again spilling outside for their next grueling challenge.

Trent turned to Gwen with a curious look on his face. "How long do you think it'll take before everyone's out cold?"

The goth shrugged thoughtlessly. "An hour, give or take."

Owen made a heaving noise before running to a nearby bush. The guitarist made a disgusted face as Gwen sighed.

"Maybe less."

* * *

 **Bonfire Area**

"We are now twelve hours into the challenge, and all twenty-one campers are still awake," Chris announced softly, the camera slowly panning over the teenagers, each one looking just about ready to collapse.

Owen shuffled excitedly around the area despite the obvious bags under his eyes. He laughed triumphantly. "Staying awake for twelve hours? I can do that in my sleep! Woo-hoo!"

He pumped a fist in the air, freezing in place for several seconds.

He then proceeded to collapse, becoming the first one out of the game. Noah groaned, face-palming at his blonde teammate.

"This is the most boring thing I've ever done in my life." Gwen muttered, fighting back a yawn as she stared at the musician sitting beside her.

Trent shrugged in response. "It could be worse."

" _Really_."

"I could be stuck here without you to talk to." The guitarist gave the goth a charming smile, eliciting a blush from the other girl. Heather rolled her eyes at the sappy couple.

* * *

 **Confessional: Heather**

 _Heather huffs, looking at the camera with an annoyed frown as she crosses her arms. "My strategy to win, is to get two other campers to form an alliance with me so I can take them to the final three."_

 _She hums thoughtfully. "Question is, who in my team is either desperate or dumb enough to do whatever I say, no questions asked?"_

* * *

Lindsay grunted as she stood on her head, legs wobbling as the blonde tried to keep her balance. The other members of the Screaming Gophers gave the girl questioning stares, but otherwise kept silent. Beth looked curiously at her teammate.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to get all the blood to rush to my head. I think it's working!"

Beth flashed a brace-covered smile in interest. "Can I try?"

"Sure!"

Heather stared at the two with a dark grin. "Perfect." She stood up and motioned to the two girls to come over. "Lindsay, Beth, come over for sec! I wanna talk to you!"

The pair turned to the queen bee before nodding, flipping right side-up before wobbling over to the scheming girl with oblivious grins on their faces.

"You see girls, I have a plan to get me and two other campers to the final three, and since you guys are so like, the _best_ choice, I decided you two to take alongside me."

Both Beth and Lindsay let out flattered gasps, the blonde allowing a red tint to spread onto her cheeks while the brunette giggled happily.

Heather smiled at the girls, the pair oblivious to her true intent.

* * *

 **Confessional: Heather**

 _Heather grins evilly at the camera, her arms folded across her chest. "I saw what Miss CIT did yesterday and I have to say, I'm impressed by her tactics. If it wasn't for her talking trash about Duncan, her butt would've been the first one off this island."_

" _What she did back there made me think about my own agenda. Maybe acting all friendly isn't such a bad idea after all." The queen bee snorts, rolling her eyes. "I mean, there's no way in hell I'll start playing nice to everyone, but I will at least tolerate the two people in my alliance."_

 _She chuckles. "That way, when they start thinking of me as their 'bestie', or whatever the hell people call it, I won't even need to defend myself. They'll be the ones doing all the dirty work, while I'll just be here, enjoying the high life."_

 _She has a confident smile on her face until she takes a sniff of the small stall, letting out a revolted snort._

* * *

"Thank you sooo much Heather!"

Lindsay nodded in agreement, wrapping the queen bee in a surprise hug. Heather's eyes widened before she quickly eased the blonde off, caught off-guard by the friendly action. The black-haired teen awkwardly cleared her throat.

"A-Anyway, we need to set some ground rules. Let's get this straight, I'm putting a lot of faith in you two, understand?" The girls nodded. "So you'll scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours, okay?"

The blonde opened her mouth to speak, but Heather quickly cut her off. "Not literally."

She shrugged, turning to Beth with a grin. "Speaking of alliances, you know who I think is _really_ cute?" She directed her gaze over to Tyler.

The queen bee quickly stood in front of the blonde, blocking the athlete from her view. "Woah there Lindsay, you might wanna slow down. You can't date him."

Lindsay pouted. "Why not?"

"He's on the other team!" She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm doing this for your own good. He might use you to make _us_ lose a challenge."

The blonde let out a shocked gasped, Heather nodding as she continued. "That's why it's dangerous to inter-team date. I'm only looking out for you two out of the goodness of my heart. It's a competition, after all."

The two girls nodded obediently before Heather dismissed them and the trio walked back to their seats.

* * *

 **Confessional: Lindsay**

" _Okay, I know Heather said I couldn't date him..." Lindsay says thoughtfully. "But she didn't say anything about not being allowed to like him!"_

 _The blonde giggles proudly. "Ooh, I'm so smart!"_

* * *

Within an hour, Katie, Sadie, Noah, Izzy, and DJ were out cold, leaving only eight campers left to fight the cold, yet welcoming jaws of sleep.

Eva glanced around suspiciously, occasionally letting out a yawn or two as she slouched over in her seat. Geoff seemed to be having pleasant conversation with a blushing Bridgette, while Harold and Ezekiel quietly chatted in their own little corner, the homeschooler looking star-struck as the nerd went on and on about things the boy most likely had little to no idea about.

The weight-lifter sighed, pausing her music as she tiredly stuffed her MP3 player in her back pocket.

She stood up and muttered a "Need to use the bathroom," before retreating, unaware of the small device slipping out her pocket with a small 'thunk'.

Heather raised an eyebrow as she watched the angry teenager disappear into one of the bathroom stalls, a plan beginning to form in the queen bee's head. She stood up and walked over to the small player, pretending to stretch as she discreetly plucked the device from the ground and hastily stuffed it into her own pockets.

As she walked back, Lindsay regarded her with a raised brow as the black-haired girl sat back in her seat. "Isn't that Eva's?"

"Sure is." Heather replied coolly.

"Won't she get like, _really_ mad once she finds out you took her MP3 player?"

"That's the plan."

The queen bee grinned.

Pretty soon, all but three campers were knocked out on the forest floor. Harold and Ezekiel had fallen asleep on each other, while Heather, Lindsay, and Beth all dozed off on their seats. Bridgette and Geoff leaned against each other as they snored.

Trent had succumbed to his exhaustion just a few minutes ago, leaving the still-awake goth to her thoughts.

Gwen threw a wary glance at the two other campers still awake. Eva and Cody stared back at her, Cody giving her a wink while the weight-lifter narrowed her sleep-deprived eyelids.

Chris let out an impressed snort. "You guys are _still_ awake? It's been twelve hours dudes. Just fall asleep already."

The final three glared at him. The host chuckled, shaking his head in pity. "Fine. I didn't want to do this, but you guys leave me no choice. So, I've come up with the most boring, sleep-inducing activity I can find."

Chris bent down, retrieving a thick book before settling down on a stump in front of the remaining campers. " _Ahem_. 'The History of Canada: A Pop-Up Book'. Chapter One; the beaver. National symbol and a ' _dam'_ , fine hat."

The teens groaned.

"Screw this," Gwen grumbled, eyelids drooping as she stood up. "I'm… going… bath…roooo… _oomph_ …"

The goth swayed in place for several seconds before finally toppling, falling to the ground with an unceremonious snore.

"Finally." The weight-lifter smirked at the fallen girl before turning to a distraught Cody with a threatening growl. "You're next, _pipsqueak_."

The brunette gulped in fear.

"Hey Chris," Eva fixed her gaze on the terrified Gopher, grinning evilly as spoke. "You never said that we had to fall asleep on our own to be counted out, right?"

The host raised an eyebrow before catching the girl's intentions, giving the weight-lifter an equally sadistic grin back. "Why _no_ Eva, I don't recall ever saying that."

She cracked her knuckles. " _Well_ in that case…"

Before the girl could finish, the brunette shot off running into forest screaming bloody murder. The weight-lifter growled, jumping up from her seat to chase after the remaining competitor.

Cody dodged branches and rocks, desperately flinging whatever he could get his hands on at the other teenager in an attempt to deter her from mauling him. If anything however, his attempts only made the girl angrier, the remaining Killer Bass member letting out a fierce battle cry as she began to catch up to the other teen.

The brunette craned his head, trying to gauge the distance between him and death when he suddenly tripped on a root, making the unlucky teen lose his balance and tumble down onto the hard forest floor.

He let out a dazed groan as Eva approached him, cracking her knuckles once again as she grabbed his collar, holding up the smaller boy to her eye-level.

He swallowed, giving the furious weight-lifter a weak attempt at a wink. "H-Hey girl… Y-You wouldn't mind talking this over a cup of coffee… w-would you?"

The girl simply growled in response.

Cody whimpered, shutting his eyes as he readied himself for the pain to come.

…

…

…

A soft snore broke the brunette out of his fearful stupor, the teen opening an eye to survey his surroundings.

Eva had somehow managed to fall asleep while still remaining upright, frozen in a ready-to-punch position. It was likely that the lack of sleep thanks to the challenge, coupled with the chase finally pushed the weight-lifter's exhaustion over the edge.

Cody let out a nervous laugh of victory before finally passing out himself.

* * *

 **Bonfire Area**

Chris stared at his watch with a bored expression when one of the cameramen walked up to him, a hand-written note on hand.

He raised an eyebrow, scanning the contents before grinning. "Alright! Looks like the Gophers win the Awake-a-thon – _and_ the challenge of the day!"

"What?!" Courtney, who had just woken up and still had evident bags under her eyes, shot up from her seat. "H-How could _Eva_ lose?"

"Chasing after Cody apparently," the host chuckled. "Hey if it's any consolation, the kid pissed his pants before passing out."

"You've got to be kidding me…" The CIT sat back down, hand pinching the bridge of her nose. "How could we lose two challenges in a row? To _Cody_ , no less!"

"Don't blame me." a familiar voice snarled.

Eva stomped out from the forest, dragging an unconscious Cody beside her. "The pipsqueak's a fast runner. Besides, I was the last one standing from our team. If anyone should be eliminated, it should be the first guy out."

Courtney sighed in defeat. The weight-lifter dumped the sleeping deadweight on the ground before patting her pockets, raising an eyebrow as she glanced around in confusion.

"Anyone see my music player? Could've sworn I put it in my pocket…"

The freckled girl didn't look up. A tired, yet awake Bridgette spoke up instead, yawning. "It's probably in the cabin. Just check there."

Eva gave her teammate at suspicious frown before heading back to the cabin, grumbling under her breath.

Unbeknownst to the Killer Bass, a now-awake Heather grinned as she elbowed a sleeping Beth. The brunette woke up with a startled snort.

"Beth, gimme a marker."

The farm girl raised an eyebrow but complied, handing the queen bee a black whiteboard marker. The black-haired girl popped open the cap and quickly scribbled on the stolen MP3 player, grinning to herself as she admired her work.

On the white device's back, was a hastily scribbled 'Ezekiel'.

Heather chuckled. "Perfect."

* * *

 **Bonfire Area: Elsewhere**

Katie and Sadie were still sleeping side-by-side as the queen bee approached, Eva's missing device on hand. Heather quietly giggled to herself as she carefully placed the player right in front of the dark-skinned girl's sleeping face.

She slowly crept behind the pair before roughly nudging Katie, effectively waking up the sleep-deprived teen. Heather quickly made her escape, grinning to herself as the oblivious girl looked around, bewildered.

Katie scratched her head, yawning as she looked around in confusion. She bent down to wake Sadie when a white block with an orange screen caught her attention. She raised an eyebrow as she picked it up, inspecting the strange object with a scrutinizing eye.

On its back, was a familiar name written in big black letters.

"Ezekiel…"

She looked around the area and spotted the homeschooled boy a small distance away, sleeping against a drooling Harold. The dark-skinned girl came to the conclusion that it must've been dropped accidentally, and the boy simply hadn't noticed before he fell asleep.

Wanting to go back to sleep as soon as possible, the teen made her way over to the prairie boy without waking her BFFL.

Katie bent down and quickly stuffed the device into the brunette's sweater pocket, mentally praising herself for the secret good deed before retreating back to her stirring friend's side, oblivious to a certain queen bee observing from just behind the brushes.

* * *

 **Confessional: Heather**

 _Heather examines her nails with a confident smirk. "This is too easy."_

* * *

 **Killer Bass Cabin**

" _ **WHERE**_ **IS MY MP3 PLAYER?!** "

Courtney winced as yet another luggage was thrown from the cabin, landing onto the hard forest floor with a loud crash as a furious Eva stuck her head out the open window, glaring daggers at the present Killer Bass members cowering outside.

" _One_ of you must've stolen it – I _need_ my music!" The weight-lifter let out a threatening snarl. "No one's going _**anywhere**_ until I get my MP3 player back!"

She chucked a surfboard at a terrified DJ, who dodged the long projectile with a fearful yelp. The CIT let out a worried sigh as she turned to her teammates with a raised eyebrow, suspiciously eyeing the sleep-deprived campers. "Alright, who has it?"

"Who has what?"

Katie and Sadie gave their teammates tired smiles as they approached the group, apparently unaware of the raging Eva inside. "What's going on?"

Tyler opened his mouth to speak, only to get cut off by another angry roar. Courtney shook her head. "Someone stole Eva's MP3 player."

The BFFLs gasped. "Someone stole from _Eva_?"

Bridgette nodded. "We're trying to figure out who took it, but not everyone's here yet. I saw Geoff sleeping in the guys' cabin right before Eva had her meltdown. Have you guys seen either Harold or Ezekiel?"

The smaller of the two girls tapped her chin. "Last time I saw them, they were still sleeping together."

"Great," The CIT grit her teeth as the ticked-off teenager flung another object out the cabin. "Did you guys at least see the MP3 player anywhere? It looks like a small white rectangle with an orange screen."

Sadie shook her head while Katie frowned, looking thoughtful at the description. "Did you just say… an _orange_ screen?"

Before the dark-skinned teen could explain, another tired voice spoke up.

"Gosh, what set Eva off this time?"

Harold raised an eyebrow as he walked over to his teammates, Ezekiel slowly trailing beside him with his toque over his eyes. Courtney frowned at the pair, irritated at the late arrival.

"There you guys are!" she hissed. "Where have you two been?! Eva's MP3 player is missing, and she's destroying the cabin looking for it!"

The homeschooler tilted his hat upwards to give the brunette a confused stare. "What's an ' _Emcee tree_ ' player, eh?"

"AN _**MP3**_ PLAYER!" Eva angrily corrected, stomping out the wooden cabin with a dark scowl on her face. "IT PLAYS MUSIC! IT'S MINE, WHITE, SHAPED LIKE A RECTANGLE –"

The weight-lifter trailed off as her gaze lowered down Ezekiel's sweater and onto the familiar object sticking out of the prairie boy's pouch pocket.

Her eyes widened before she suddenly let out a furious battle cry, racing towards the unsuspecting brunette before snatching up her missing device and punching the poor teen straight in the face, sending her teammate straight into a nearby tree.

The injured male gripped his bleeding nose in pain as Eva began to advance again, forcing some of her shocked and terrified teammates to restrain the wrathful teen as Harold ran forward to tend to his friend.

Katie brought a hand to her mouth once she saw the device in the weight-lifter's hand, her brain making the connection between her 'good deed' along with the missing music player. "W-Wait Eva, he didn't take your MP3 player!"

"Oh yeah?! Then why'd I find it in the little _weasel's_ pocket?!"

"I-I-I…" The dark-skinned girl bowed her head in defeat, refusing to meet her best friend's gaze as she confessed. "I… I was the one who put it there. I found it on the ground…"

Courtney narrowed her eyes. "So you put it in _Ezekiel's_ pocket."

"I-It had his name on it, I swear!"

Eva growled, using her unrestrained hand to hold up her missing device. "There isn't a name here."

Several suspicious stares were redirected to the usually bubbly girl, making her eyes widen, mouth agape like a fish out of water. She looked down, at a loss for an explanation as the weight-lifter forced off her teammates' grasp, growling. Sadie instinctively stepped between the angry girl's path.

"Oh, _I get it_." Eva took a threatening step forward. "You're trying to set me up, aren't you?! You knew I'd smash in homeschool's face when I saw my MP3 player! You wanted to get me eliminated, but let me guess – you chickened out and confessed? I'm not surprised."

The bigger of the BFFLs immediately came to her friend's defense, glaring daggers at the other girl. "Katie would never do that! She's the nicest, sweetest, and smartest person I know! At least she didn't _hit_ poor _Zeke_ like you did!"

"Well, I wouldn't have if Tweedle- _doofus_ over there hadn't tried to frame _me_ in the first place!"

"Alright, knock it off you two!" Courtney gave the two girls a stern glare, finally having enough of her teammates' nonsense. "It doesn't matter who did what – right now, Ezekiel needs medical attention and the last thing he needs is another fight."

She shot both Sadie and Eva accusing frowns, ignoring the dumbstruck and impressed expressions on the other members of the Killer Bass. "That means you two. You all should just cool down in the cabins until the campfire ceremony. We're on a _losing_ streak people, remember that."

The brunette bent down to the collapsed homeschooler's level. "You don't need to worry about a thing, Zeke. _I_ was a CIT at summer camp."

The weight-lifter rolled her eyes, glaring daggers at the BFFLs before retreating back to the cabin. Sadie huffed, tilting her nose upwards before dragging a stunned Katie into the forest. All their other teammates simply shared confused looks before dispersing themselves, leaving Courtney, Ezekiel, and Harold to their own business.

The CIT held up four fingers. "Zeke, can you hear me? If you can, how many fingers am I holding?"

The prairie boy winced as he raised an eyebrow, still holding on to his bleeding nose. "Four. And I'm fine, really. It's Ezekiel by the way."

"Dude, you just got punched by _Eva_."

"Harold's right." Courtney stood up, gently wrapping an arm under Ezekiel's shoulder. "We're bringing you to the cabin to rest, okay?"

The boy opened his mouth to protest, but any objections the boy had died instantly once he was moved, resulting in a loud yelp of pain. Harold gave the brunette a sympathetic look.

"Looks like hitting that tree really did a number on him." The red-head frowned as he and his teammate began to lift their injured friend over to the guys' cabin. "Gosh, Eva's one heck of a ticking time bomb. The island's not safe with her around."

Courtney looked alarmed. "You're not really planning on voting her off, are you?"

"No duh," The nerd snorted as they neared the cabin's entrance. "She broke Zeke's nose over an MP3 player. Even if Katie did frame him. They say the nose knows, you know?"

The CIT rolled her eyes at the cheesy proverb, sighing as they walked into the cabin and laid Ezekiel on the closest bed the pair could find. Geoff, who had apparently just woken up, jumped up in surprise at the sight of his injured teammate.

"We need to stop the bleeding first," Courtney had simply stated, ignoring the party animal's frantic questioning. "Since you know this cabin better than I do, you two need to find something we can use to help out Ezekiel. A clean towel would be good."

The brunette frowned as she watched the two guys nod before moving further into cabin. The teen thought back to today's events and the failed challenge, disappointed that they would need to once again send someone home.

Courtney knew she was most likely safe, but she couldn't help but worry over the fate of her kind-of friend. The weight-lifter's attack on Ezekiel definitely worsened her chances on surviving through today's loss, but Katie did just as bad, confessing to planting the device on the prairie boy in the first place.

She shook her head, worriedly eyeing her homeschooled teammate with a bit lip. The CIT groaned, pressing a palm against her forehead. "Our team is such a mess…"

* * *

 **Bonfire Area**

The atmosphere at the area was even tenser than before, the members of the losing team sharing uneasy glances with each other thanks to the events that took place just hours before. Eva let out a predatory snarl as she and the two BFFLs stared each other down.

Their simply chuckled at their behavior, raising an eyebrow as the final two members took their seats around the bonfire. "Looks like Harold and Zeke are finally here." he observed playfully, eyeing the prairie boy's bandaged nose.

"It's Ezekiel, eh."

At the comment, the team immediately turned their gazes over to the injured boy, all looking varying degrees of concerned and relieved. Eva refused to meet the brunette's gaze, opting to stare at the ground in guilt over the misunderstanding. Katie opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off by an enthusiastic Chris.

"Anyway, you all have cast your votes and made your decision," the host set down a plate full of marshmallows on the empty seat up front. "There are only nine marshmallows on this plate. When I call your name, come up and claim your marshmallow. The camper who doesn't receive a marshmallow must immediately return to the Dock of Shame, catch the Boat of Losers, and leave. And you can never come back. _Ever_."

The losing team looked unimpressed, the lack of sleep most likely taking their toll on the camper's attitudes. The host looked disappointed at the lack of reactions, but shrugged and held up a marshmallow. "First marshmallow goes to Bridgette."

The blonde surfer smiled tiredly before standing up to retrieve her marshmallow. She quickly patted Ezekiel's back on the way to the host, eyeing the brunette in concern.

"Courtney,"

The CIT eagerly snatched up her treat.

"Tyler."

The athlete yawned before plucking up a marshmallow. He gave a friendly thumbs-up to the homeschooler.

"DJ."

The gentle giant grinned as he retrieved the treat, smiling sympathetically at the prairie boy.

"Geoff."

The blonde chuckled, muttering a 'wicked' as he walked up to get his treat. He gave Ezekiel a concerned look before walking back to his seat.

"Harold."

The red-head nodded, hesitantly walking over to retrieve his own marshmallow before sitting back down next to the brunette.

"Sadie."

The big girl glanced at Katie, who simply urged her friend to get her well-deserved treat. Sadie reluctantly took a marshmallow before quickly running back to her BFFL.

"And Ezekiel. Think fast dude!"

Without warning, the host chucked a marshmallow at the injured boy, earning a pained yelp as it hit him square on the nose. His teammates let out a shocked gasp, several even directing glares at the chuckling host.

Harold glowered at the grinning man, but the homeschooler quickly patted his shoulder, signaling that it wasn't worth it. The red-head huffed as the actor guffawed.

"Man, you should've seen your face!" Chris wiped a tear from his eye, shaking his head in amusement. "Anyway, this is the final marshmallow of the night."

As the host held up the last squishy treat, the tense air between the campers returned. Eva and Katie, the only two without a marshmallow, held their breath in anticipation.

"The final…"

Sadie swallowed, squeezing her BFFL's hand in fear. Katie smiled at the gesture, giving the bigger girl a comforting squeeze back.

"Marshmallow of the night…"

Courtney turned to Eva, discreetly biting her lip as she watched the weight-lifter nervously squeeze her own fist.

"Goes to…"

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"Katie!"

Sadie let out a squeal of delight, squeezing her friend in pure relief as she dragged her BFFL over to receive her marshmallow.

Courtney let out a resigned sigh as the weight-lifter shot up, glaring daggers at her team.

However, any insults or threats she had wanted to say instantly died in her throat once a quiet voice spoke up.

"I didn't vote for you."

The angry teen blinked, staring at the prairie boy with a look of disbelief. The other campers seemed equally surprised at the sudden confession as he continued. "You weren't the one who put the MP3 player in my sweater."

With the exception of Chris, who seemed to be gleefully soaking up the tension, all the campers remained silent, Katie shifting around uncomfortably in her seat as Sadie frowned at the homeschooler.

The weight-lifter could only stare as Chef Hatchet began to forcefully drag her towards the dock and onto the boat, where the teen eventually left without another word to her teammates.

The Killer Bass remained silent until a certain party animal spoke up, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "I kinda feel bad for voting for her now."

The bigger of the BFFLs huffed. "So what?! She was still the one who punched Ezekiel!"

Harold nodded, unmoved. "That's true."

Bridgette shrugged, Geoff eyeing the surfer girl with concern. "I don't know…"

"None of that matters right now." Courtney let out a yawn while still trying to sound authoritative, crossing her arms. "Eva's gone and there's nothing we can do about it. We should just get some rest for the next challenge, alright?"

Murmurs of agreement echoed throughout the group, making the CIT smile appreciatively. "Okay then!" she signaled the others to get their own marshmallows before holding up her own.

"To the Killer Bass, and to _not_ ending up here again next week!"

* * *

 **Voting Confessionals**

* * *

 **Bridgette**

 _Bridgette stares at the camera with a indecisive frown. "I know what Eva did to Zeke was terrible, but... maybe none of this would've happened if Katie never put the MP3 player in Zeke's sweater in the first place."_

 _The surfer girl awkwardly scratches the back of her head. "Sorry Katie."_

* * *

 **Courtney**

 _Courtney sighs sadly, looking resigned. "It looks like Eva's the one leaving tonight. But even if that is the case, I'm still voting for Katie." She narrows her eyes. "There's something suspicious about this whole thing, but I just can't put my finger on it..."_

* * *

 **Tyler**

 _"Eva broke his nose man!" Tyler shakes his head disapprovingly. "Not cool dude."_

* * *

 **DJ**

 _DJ plays nervously with his fingers. "Eva's really terrifying man... Sorry."_

* * *

 **Geoff**

 _Geoff crosses his arms. "I was sleeping back at the cabin so I didn't see anything, but punching someone just for an MP3 player? That's like, way past the line dude."_

* * *

 **Harold**

 _Harold glares at the camera. "Eva, no question."_

* * *

 **Sadie & Katie**

 _Sadie glares protectively at the camera, her worried BFFL sitting by her side. "We're definitely voting for Eva! Not only is she really mean, she punched poor Zeke in the face! Right Katie?"_

 _"Oh, um..."_

 _The bigger of the two girls gives her friend a look of concern. "Are you okay? You aren't thinking what Eva said, are you?"_

 _Katie looks down._

 _Sadie instinctively squeezes the smaller girl's hand. "Katie, listen to me. You are like the smartest, nicest, sweetest, and prettiest girl I've ever known. Eva's just a jealous bully!"_

 _The darker-skinned girl sniffs, smiling at at her BFFL. "Thanks Sadie. You're like the best and nicest and sweetest and prettiest friend I've ever had!"_

 _"Awww, Katie..."_

 _The two girls wrap each other in a bone-crushing hug as they begin to sob._

* * *

 **Eva**

 _Eva snarls, cracking her knuckles. "Katie's going down."_

* * *

 **Ezekiel**

 _Ezekiel frowns. "I'm voting for Katie. Eva may have punched me, but Katie was the one who put the white block thing in my sweater in the first place."_

 _The homeschooler sighs before turning to the camera with a mildly annoyed frown. "And why does everyone call me Zeke? My name's Ezekiel, eh."_

* * *

 **Ending Notes:** That was... long. Reviews are much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:** And the plot thickens.

* * *

 **Recap**

 _"Last time on Total Drama Island: The Screaming Gophers kicked butt in the Awake-a-thon when Eva knocked herself out while trying to maul Cody, and the Killer Bass took their second loss in a row. Harsh. Heather orchestrated the first Total Drama Island alliance by convincing Lindsay ad Beth to join forces with her, then pocketed Eva's MP3 player and framed Katie, who in turn accidentally framed Ezekiel for the misdeed. Talk about a back-up plan for a back-up plan! Nicely played Heather. Even though Eva could've pretty much kicked anyone's butt here, in the end it was her temper that got her kicked off. She became the second camper to rock the Boat of Losers."_

 _"Who will break the rules of their new alliance? Will Cody be able to stay awake until the end of the episode? And who will take the next humiliating walk down the Dock of Shame? Stay tuned for the most dramatic campfire ceremony yet on, Total! Drama! Island!"_

* * *

"You guys don't look so good," Noah observed mockingly, a smug smile on his face as he eyed the sleep-deprived members of the Killer Bass. "Ever heard of beauty sleep?"

Courtney glared at him while massaging her temples, clearly irritated. "Forgive me if I don't act very accommodating, but Harold snored _all_ night yesterday."

Ezekiel yawned, toque covering the brunette's eyes. "The guy's just a heavy sleeper, eh."

The red-head simply gave an affirmative grunt in response, still face-down on the wooden table's surface. The CIT rolled her eyes at the pair.

"Wow does it _suck_ to be you guys," Chris chuckled, shaking his head as he strutted into the mess hall. "Four nights with no sleep? That's _harsh_ dudes."

The Killer Bass all gave him death glares.

The host ignored them. "By the way, anyone seen Cody around?"

"I have him," Trent announced, dragging a sleep-deprived Cody behind him. The guitarist propped the unresponsive brunette up on a seat, looking concerned as he turned to Chris. "I think the dude _really_ needs a nap."

Gwen raised an impressed eyebrow. "I'm surprised _Cody_ of all people lasted that long. If I stayed awake any longer, I probably would've turned into a walking zombie."

Trent chuckled as he took a seat at the far end of the table. "Hey, at least you'd be a cute zombie."

Gwen smiled.

Heather made a gagging motion, looking disgusted as she turned to both Beth and Lindsay. "Ignoring that love fest, let's talk about our alliance's rules. Number One: I am the captain of this alliance, so _I_ get to make the rules. Number Two?"

The blonde fashionista looked thoughtful. "Breaking the rules can result in getting kicked out the alliance?"

The queen bee nodded in agreement. "Good. Just remember that's it's all for your own good, alright?"

The two girls nodded happily.

"Great, now let's have some _fun_." Heather grinned to herself as she stood up, making her way over to the Killer Bass's side. "Hey fish-huggers! Good job on kicking out your strongest player! Why not just spare yourselves the humiliation and give up now?"

Courtney snarled, launching a spoonful of food that the black-haired girl easily dodged, resulting in Cody getting splattered instead. He shot up with a startled snort, looking confused at the sudden disturbance.

The CIT gasped, looking apologetic while the queen bee laughed.

Chris clasped his hands together, regaining the attention of the teenagers in the room."Alright campers listen up; your next challenge begins in ten minutes! And be prepared to _bring it_!"

Ezekiel looked confused. "Bring what? Did we need to get something?"

Lindsay looked panicked. "Oh no! It wasn't homework, was it? I forgot to bring mine!"

The host stared at the pair.

* * *

 **Dodgeball Court**

Chef blew a whistle as he trudged through the court, shooting glares at the teenagers nervously eyeing him and his referee outfit. Chris chuckled as picked up a ball, enjoying their discomfort as he spoke. "Today's challenge is the classic game of dodgeball. Anyone know what the first rule of dodgeball is?"

"Do not talk about dodgeball?" Noah deadpanned, earning a laugh from Owen. The sarcastic teen smiled at the blonde.

"As I was saying," the host continued, looking annoyed. "If you get hit with a ball," he suddenly threw the ball, hitting Courtney square in the stomach. "You're out."

The CIT shot the older man a glare, throwing back the ball with an angry grunt. Chris grinned, catching the ball and holding it up to show off. "If you catch the ball, the thrower gets sent out and the catcher gets to bring another team member out on the court."

The Indian-Candian boy rolled his eyes. "Throwing balls. How mentally challenging."

Lindsay nodded, apparently unaware of sarcasm. "I _know_ , right?"

Owen and Noah shared a look as their host continued. "Okay now Geoff, try to hit me."

He passed the ball over to the party animal before turning to Chef, who handed him another ball to use. "If you're holding a ball, you can use it to deflect a ball. But, if it knocks the ball out of your hands, you're out!"

The bandanna-wearing blonde looked confused. "So what do I do again when the ball comes at me?"

Ezekiel nodded in agreement, scratching the back of his head. "I'm a little confused, eh."

"You _dodge_!" Chris answered, quickly holding up his ball to deflect Geoff's sudden toss, redirecting the projectile over to Lindsay's face, which ricocheted off and smacked onto the homeschooler's crotch.

They both let out pained whines as they collapsed. Harold quickly came to his friend's aid while Heather looked somewhat concerned. The red-head shot a glare at the host.

Chris simply gave the two an irritated look. "You were supposed to _dodge_!"

Lindsay stood up with a groan, a large bruise now swelling in the middle of her forehead. "Right."

"You have one minute until game time. Gophers, you'll have to sit one person out each game."

Heather nodded before turning to her teammates, eyeing each of them critically as she spoke. "Okay, we can't get lazy. The Killer Bass are going to be trying extra hard to catch up; who wants to sit out the first game with buck teeth over there?"

Noah opened his mouth to speak, only for Owen to suddenly wrap him in a hug that felt more like a chokehold. The huge blonde seemed unaware of his friend's need for air, and continued to laugh.

The queen bee raised an eyebrow before finally pointing at the blonde fashionista. "Fine then. Lindsay, since you're already injured, you can sit out the first game."

The female teen nodded obediently as Heather gathered the first five people to play onto court.

The dark-skinned boy groaned, still stuck in the bigger blonde's tight embrace. " _Figures_."

* * *

Leshawna, Owen, Noah, Heather, and Gwen stood on the Gopher's side, while Courtney, Tyler, Ezekiel, Harold, and Katie stood on the Bass's.

Heather wagged a mocking finger at the opposition. "Bring it, _guppies_. Otherwise winning three in a row won't feel as satisfying."

Tyler made an offended noise. "Oh yeah?! Well we're gonna bring the dinner to the table, and then we're gonna _eat it_!"

Courtney face-palmed while Katie rolled her eyes. The queen bee laughed in agreement. "I agree. You guys are gonna eat it!"

" _YEAH_! Wait, no-"

"Both teams ready?!" Chris yelled, standing in front of the referee's chair. "Best of five games win! Now, let's dodge some balls!"

Chef blew his whistle as the teenagers on the bleachers began to cheer and holler for their respective teams.

Gwen threw the first shot, narrowly missing Tyler's head as the athlete glared. The sweatband-wearing teen began to spin around, missing the opposing team completely and hitting a cheering Sadie right in the face.

Katie gasped, dropping her ball. "Oh my gosh, Sadie are you okay?!"

Courtney face-palmed, glaring darkly at the gaping brunette. "Nice job. Now let's see if you can hit someone on _their_ team!"

Owen let out a battle cry as he charged forwards, suddenly launching a ball straight into a shocked Tyler's gut, sending him flying into the court's walls. Chef whistled, jabbing a thumb in the bleachers' direction to signal that the athlete was now out.

The Gophers on the bleachers cheered as Owen fist-pumped in victory. Tyler whimpered as he trudged over to his teammates, clutching his stomach in pain. Sadie didn't bother resisting a chuckle at his expense.

Heather eyed the goth distastefully as the girl scratched the back of her head, looking sheepish over her missed throw.

Chef whistled for the game to continue on as Harold narrowed his eyes at the opposing team. "Time to unleash my wicked skills!"

"Yeah?" Leshawna raised a challenging eyebrow, taking a battle stance. "Then _bring_ it string bean, let's see what you got!"

The nerd inhaled, taking the fighting position of a crane. He made a strange noise before suddenly slamming the ball down, sending it flying into the air. Unfortunately it landed quite pathetically, coming to a stop right in front of Leshawna's foot.

The red-head screamed in fear before getting smacked with the ball, landing face-first onto the floor with an undignified shriek. Chef blew his whistle once again, signaling another out as Harold walked back to his seat.

Several outs, misses, and catches later, a certain blonde fashionista walked up to Owen, holding up the ball with a confused look on her face. "What am I supposed to do with this again?"

A ball suddenly smacked her in the face before she got a response, followed by another whistle. The blonde whimpered as she stood back up, a new bruise on her face as she retreated back to the bleachers. Tyler winked at her, earning a giggle from the injured teenager.

Heather's eyes narrowed at the gesture of affection, letting out a growl before she hurled the ball straight into Tyler's crown jewels. The athlete let out a whine of pure agony, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

Courtney gaped. "Ref! What the heck was that? He wasn't even on the court!"

Chef raised an eyebrow while the black-haired girl shrugged. "Oops. My hand must've slipped. So _sorry_."

The CIT snarled, angrily chucking a ball in the black-haired girl's direction. Owen quickly caught it before it could make contact, sending out the Bass member. The brunette looked down as Chef pointed to the bleachers, sighing as she trudged her way out the court. The burly man then turned to the Gophers, gesturing for one of them to go in.

Cody, who was haphazardly slumped over the bleachers, let out an exhausted yawn. He glanced around before stretching, slowly standing up from his seat before wordlessly shuffling over to the court.

Just as he passed through the court lines, a ball flew past Owen's head and onto Cody's, knocking the sleepy brunette onto the floor and out of the game.

DJ winced, looking apologetic for his aim. "Sorry dude."

"Oh no, I'm fine," Cody slurred, looking completely out of it as his blonde teammate helped him up. "Everything's cool duude…"

The black teen simply raised an eyebrow as he watched the brunette stumble back to his seat.

Pretty soon, most of the teens on both sides were sent out, leaving Katie and Ezekiel on the Killer Bass's side, and only a lone Noah on the Gopher's. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Of course."

"C'mon Noah , you can do it! Go Noah go! Go Noah go! Woo-hoo!" His huge blonde friend cheered wildly on his spot in the bleachers, earning an amused eyeroll from the dark-skinned boy.

"Easy out guys!" Courtney announced. "Easy out!"

Noah looked annoyed at the CIT's deduction before smirking, walking as close as he could get to the center line before plopping himself down on the court's smooth flooring. He raised a challenging eyebrow, looking bored. "Go ahead."

Heather grit her teeth. "What is he doing? Is he _trying_ to make us lose?"

Ezekiel eyed the other brunette with a wary expression on his face. "It looks like he's planning something, eh. Katie, we should-"

"GRAHHH!" The girl let out a fierce battle cry as she shot the ball straight for the last Gopher, who still looked completely unimpressed.

Noah let out a disinterested yawn before dodging, the ball hitting the spot where he had just been before ricocheting straight into the other female teen's gut, then proceeding to bounce off it and onto the homeschooler's injured face.

Most of the campers winced, the Killer Bass looking especially concerned as Harold ran down from the bleachers to help out his unlucky friend.

Courtney's jaw dropped as two more whistles blew through the air, the brunette blinking in shock before turning to the amused host with an incredulous expression. "T-That seriously doesn't count as an out, does it? Noah didn't even touch the ball, much less throw it!"

Before Chris could reply, the Indian male in question answered for him. "Sorry Courtney, but Chris said and I quote; "if you get hit by _a_ ball, you're out". Sounds pretty specific to me."

The host shrugged. "Can't argue with that. The Screaming Gophers win this round and get a point!"

* * *

Harold sighed, shaking his head in frustration. "C'mon guys, we can do this! We just have to believe in ourselves!"

The CIT's eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah, I believe. I believe that you _**SUCK**_!"

"Yeah!" Tyler agreed. "You throw like a girl!"

Sadie and Katie gasped while the normally calm Bridgette's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

Courtney roughly jabbed a finger onto the athlete's chest, growling. "Look who's talking! You didn't even score us a single point before Owen knocked you out!"

"I, uh…"

The brunette male swallowed as the girls of his team began to surround him, all looking varying degrees of furious. Ezekiel shuddered, clutching his bruised nose as he gently elbowed the red-head beside him while giving him a thankful look.

Courtney snarled before pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation. "Let's just forget this clown. We need to win!" She walked back to the court, signaling for the others to join her. "Tyler, Harold. You're both sitting this one out!"

The two males nodded, Tyler looking especially fearful as the girls shot him glares before walking over to Courtney's side.

Back on the court, Lindsay, Owen, Beth, Noah, and Izzy stood for the Gophers, while Katie, Sadie, Courtney, Bridgette, and Geoff played for the Bass.

Thanks to a determined Courtney, Lindsay was the first one to be sent out, adding another bruise onto her swollen face. Tyler looked on in worry, but quickly glanced elsewhere once he spotted a glowering Heather.

Bridgette caught sight of a distracted Noah and immediately went for the kill, shooting the ball at the dark-skinned boy's stomach and effectively sending him out.

Owen gasped. "Great Gatsby that is it!" He let out a battle cry as he snatched a ball up from Izzy. "GAME OOOON!"

The other team let out collective gulps.

* * *

In just a few minutes, the Killer Bass's numbers were completely decimated to zero, resulting in the Gophers cheering as yet another point was added to their score.

Heather laughed triumphantly. "Hey! It's 2 – 0! How does it feel to _suck_ so much?"

Harold sighed in defeat. "Not good."

"I-It's not over yet!" Courtney stated, forcing a smile on her face as the queen bee raised a questioning eyebrow at her false positivity. The Korean-Canadian teen snorted before rolling her eyes, retreating back to the bleachers to regroup with her own team.

The CIT bowed her head down, groaning. "It's so over."

"Hey," the homeschooler placed a comforting hand on his teammate's shoulder. "We can't just give up now, eh. There's still three more rounds to play."

Bridgette nodded, a new fire lighting up in her determined eyes. "Zeke's-"

"It's Ezekiel."

"Ezekiel's right! All we have to do is get Owen out, then we might have a fighting chance!" The blonde surfer gestured to herself. "Gather around guys - I have a plan."

Heather eyed the Killer Bass's group circle suspiciously as she crossed her arms, huffing. "Alright guys. Who's playing next game?"

Chef blew the whistle after several minutes of calm between the teams, signaling for the first five players to step out into the court.

Courtney, Bridgette, Geoff, Katie, and DJ held their heads high as they walked in, staring down at the other team with determined frowns. Izzy, Gwen, Owen, Justin, and Leshawna already stood on the Gopher's side, confidently grinning at the Bass's selection.

Gwen and Leshawna threw the first shots, narrowly missing both Bridgette and Courtney as the two girls ducked. The two balls sailed past the pair and smacked into the wall, where a waiting Katie quickly collected and handed them to her teammates.

Coupled with Geoff and DJ, who already had their own balls, the CIT and surfer grinned as they readied their aim at their main target: Owen.

The large blonde's eyes widened, unable to respond to the barrage of balls being thrown at him before he was finally hit, knocking him unconscious and out of the game.

The Gopher's gaped as their opponents cheered, excited now that their biggest obstacle to winning was now gone and dealt with.

Once Chef blew his whistle to resume the game, the Killer Bass continued their onslaught on the other campers, sending out teen after teen in the span of just a few minutes. The queen bee grit her teeth in anger as the final Gopher was hit out, giving the other team their first point.

Beth and Lindsay gave their 'friend' worried looks. The brunette spoke up first, hesitantly tapping the other camper's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

The Korean teenager remained silent for several seconds before speaking. "…Haven't you noticed, Beth?"

"Noticed what?"

" _Gwen_. She's been struggling with the challenges this whole time." She turned to her teammates with a look of sickeningly false concern, sniffling. "I'm just _so_ worried about her. If she's having a hard time now, there's no telling how she'll do in later challenges. After all, she's missed all her shots today, and just yesterday she gave up during the Awake-a-thon, even when she made it to third place. I don't _want_ to have to do it, but if we lose I'm going to have to vote her off. I just don't _want_ her to suffer…"

"Aww, that's so sweet of you Heather!" Lindsay commented, moved by the queen bee's words.

Heather chuckled. "Do you guys wanna help me – no, help _Gwen_?"

The girls nodded.

"Then vote her off with me. That way we can send goth – er, I mean _Gwen_ back home to get some well- _deserved_ rest."

"Of course!"

The queen bee smiled appreciatively, unaware of a certain camper listening in on their conversation.

* * *

 **Confessional: Heather**

 _Heather examines her nails, looking annoyed. " I don't plan on losing. But if we do somehow lose to those fish-heads, then I want goth girl to be the one to go."_

 _The queen bee holds up a picture of Gwen, completely defaced with drawings of facial hair. "Not only is she Leshawna's friend, but I've had enough of her and Trent's vomit-inducing love-fest. Ugh, those two aren't even dating and they're already acting all sappy around each other!"_

 _She huffs before leaning back onto the stall. "But whatever. It's not like I really need her gone. We won't be losing anyway."_

* * *

Heather let out an irritated growl as she walked out the confessional booth and back into the dodgeball court, unaware of her team's current situation. She turned to a gawking Trent, curious. "What'd I miss?"

The sound of Chef's whistle seemed to answer her question as Chris announced the Killer Bass to be the winners of round four. Her jaw dropped. "What?! How did they win?! I was in the confessional for only like, a minute!"

"They're better than we anticipated." Noah admitted, clutching his stomach in pain.

The queen bee growled, shooting a glare at the other team.

Their host looked around, enjoying the tense atmosphere between the two teams. "Okay, this is it! The final tie-breaking game!"

Bridgette looked around her team's huddle. "Who's playing next?"

"I think it's my turn." Harold commented.

Courtney shook her head. "No way. We actually have a chance to win this!"

"Hey, give the guy a break!" Ezekiel frowned. "He's trying his best, eh. Why not give him a chance?"

The brunette girl raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. She huffed. "Fine, whatever. But if he screws things up for us," She jabbed an accusing finger onto his chest, glowering. " _You'll_ be the one paying for it."

The homeschooler stood his ground, glaring right back at his female teammate.

* * *

 **Confessional: Courtney**

" _Okay," Courtney breathes, looking annoyed. "I know Harold's his friend and all, but he sucks at dodgeball! I can't just let our team lose thanks to one stupid decision without punishment!"_

 _The CIT crosses her arms, narrowing her eyes at the camera. "Sorry Zeke, but if Harold blows this, you're gonna be the one going home tonight."_

 _Just then, a loud accented yell comes from outside the booth, briefly shocking the girl sitting in confessional._

" _IT'S EZEKIEL!"_

* * *

"Gophers, Bass! Let's send this sample to the lab, and see what you're made of!"

Both Lindsay and Ezekiel looked confused, but before either could say anything Chef blew his whistle, signaling the final game's beginning.

At this point, all bets were off.

Balls were being thrown everywhere and in no time at all, multiple campers were simultaneously thrown out. A flurry of teenagers flowed in and out of the game as the minutes ticked by, Courtney nervously glancing around as the numbers of both teams began to dwindle.

In just fifteen minutes, both teams were down to their last camper; Owen for the Gophers, and Harold for the Bass.

Their teammates on the bleachers stared at the final two campers, silence engulfing the dodgeball court for several seconds before cheering erupted on the Gopher's side. The CIT let out a defeated sigh, shooting a warning glare at the prairie boy sitting in front of her.

The huge blonde in the court grinned, playfully juggling a ball in his hand. "Sorry dude," he laughed. "But you've gotta go down."

The two boys stared each other down before Harold began to move, taking the fighting stance of a crane as he motioned towards himself. Owen raised an eyebrow, grabbing all the balls on his side of the court before punting them over to the red-head.

Harold simply smirked, expertly dodging every single one without breaking a sweat.

All the campers stared in shock before Bridgette quickly ran up to the referee, requesting a time-out. Chef shrugged, blowing his whistle to bring the last game to a pause.

As the last Bass member walked towards the bleachers, his teammates quickly surrounded him with similar looks of disbelief and pride written all over their faces. Courtney spoke up first, looking impressed. "Where'd you learn to dodge like that?"

"Figure-skating." Harold answered proudly.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Geoff complimented. "But dodging isn't enough."

The CIT nodded in agreement. "He's right. To win this, we either have to throw him out or catch the ball. We already know throwing him out is out of the question for you. Do you think you can handle catching it?"

"Definitely."

"Great!" Ezekiel patted his friend's back. "I know you can do it!"

The nerd grinned gratefully at his friend before standing up, puffing out his chest as he strode back into court. Owen narrowed his eyes at his opponent as his team hollered behind him. Even the normally apathetic Noah cheered for the huge blonde.

The last two players engaged in another stare-down. As the whistle blew through the air, Owen quickly picked up a ball and began to spin it, putting as much energy as he possibly could into the single ball before releasing, sending it straight for the other teen's gut.

The circular projectile whizzed through the air before slamming into Harold, sending him flying across the court and onto its the clear walls. The members of the Killer Bass held their breaths as the red-head slumped over, remaining completely still from his spot on the floor.

Several tense seconds passed before the nerd finally moved, slowly raising an arm.

In it, was the last ball.

"The Killer Bass win!"

The Bass cheered as they ran over to their teammate, whopping and hollering as they lifted Harold into the air and carried him out the court, laughing and celebrating all the way as the Gophers watched on in stunned silence.

Owen looked apologetic as he approached his teammates, a saddened look on his normally cheerful face. Noah placed a sympathetic hand on the blonde's side.

The Gophers eventually dispersed, each of them walking out in their own slow and disappointed pace. Heather looked especially upset as she stomped out, roughly bumping shoulders with whoever was unfortunate enough to be in her way.

The queen bee growled as she made her way to the confessional, looking eager to vent out her anger before a hand suddenly took hold of her wrist, stopping the angry girl in her tracks. She whipped her head around to tell off the offender when the familiar face of a certain male supermodel smiled back at her, making the teen pause.

"I heard about your plan to vote off Gwen," Justin stated smoothly. "And I want to help out."

The black-haired girl stared back at the brunette, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. She remained silent, feigning ignorance.

The Hawaiian smiled deviously. "You know what I mean. I want in on your alliance." He relaxed his grip, allowing the other Gopher to remove her wrist. "In return, I'll get you Owen and Noah's vote - my own included of course."

"…That's _tempting_ ," Heather deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. "But what exactly do _you_ get out of joining my alliance?"

"Just keep me safe, and I'll help you vote off whoever you want."

The queen bee remained silent, looking thoughtful. She growled, crossing her arms before finally speaking. " _Fine_. But you better do what I say when I say it, got it pretty boy?"

"Of course."

The black-haired girl huffed. "By the way, how are you so sure you'll get bookworm's vote?"

"I have my ways."

* * *

 **Screaming Gopher's Cabin**

"Reading again?" Justin questioned, raising an eyebrow once he spotted the bored teen lying on one of the cabin's beds. Noah didn't look up.

"No, I'm just looking at a collection of blank pieces of paper. I can assure you it's _way_ more entertaining than reading."

"Interesting." The male supermodel's smile grew broader as he closed the door behind him, approaching the other brunette in a slow stride. He stopped just in front of the Indian boy's bed.

"Vote off Gwen."

"Excuse me?"

Noah put down his book with an annoyed frown. "And why should I do that?"

"Because I have leverage."

Justin didn't miss the nervous look that briefly took over the other boy's features. He chuckled in response, leaning in to whisper into his teammate's ear.

"…"

Noah's eyes widened as the other male pulled away, grinning.

"So, what do you say?"

* * *

 **Bonfire Ceremony**

"Campers."

Chris walked in front of the losing team, holding up a plate full of marshmallows.

"Welcome to your team's first elimination ceremony. You've all already cast your votes and made your decision. One of you will be going home, and you can't come back. _Ever_."

The Gophers gulped in fear, the atmosphere dropping in several degrees as the teenagers shared nervous looks with each other.

"Those who have one of these sweet treats, are safe. The one camper who doesn't… " The host chuckled. "Well, the boat of losers is over there."

"First one up is… Owen."

"Cody."

"Trent."

"Beth."

"Justin."

"Noah."

"Izzy."

"Leshawna."

"And Heather."

The Gophers called out stood around the host, each safe camper glancing curiously at the final marshmallow. Trent and Leshawna gave Gwen worried stares while Heather frowned nervously at the confused-looking Lindsay.

Chris held up the last marshmallow as he looked between the two girls. "This is the last marshmallow of the evening ladies."

Gwen swallowed, fixated on the squishy treat.

"The last person…"

Lindsay tightly gripped her skirt, beads of sweat beginning to form on her forehead.

"Safe tonight is…"

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Lindsay!"

The goth's jaw dropped as the blonde ran up to the grinning host with a gleeful cheer. Heather smiled deviously, patting a giggling Lindsay in a congratulatory gesture.

"I'm… eliminated?"

"Pretty much."

Gwen stared at the floor in shock. Chris rolled his eyes as he snapped his fingers, signaling for Chef to deal with the unresponsive girl. The burly man suddenly picked her up, dragging her towards the boat of losers and throwing her onboard before getting on himself. The boat quickly rode off into the distance, leaving behind a stunned Trent and Leshawna.

Heather silently chuckled to herself, sharing a look with a smiling Justin who winked in response. The queen bee rolled her eyes, yawning. "Well, looks like weird goth girl's gone. I'm going to bed. Lindsay, Beth, you coming with?"

The two girls nodded, Lindsay quickly stuffing the last marshmallow in her mouth before running off with her alliance-mates.

Trent stared at the empty dock in confused silence. "She's… gone."

"Excellent deduction Sherlock." Noah grumbled, whipping around to trudge back to the cabin with a dark frown on his face. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to sleep."

The remaining Gophers murmured in agreement before dispersing, eventually leaving only the still-stunned musician back at the docks. Chris raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"Okay, so that wasn't the most dramatic campfire ceremony yet. But whatever, I still get paid so _BONUS_!"

* * *

 **Voting Confessionals**

* * *

 **Owen**

 _Owens holds up a bag of potato chips, happily stuffing its contents into his mouth. He chews as he speaks, spraying crumbs into the camera. "Man these chips are good!"_

 _He licks off the powder still stuck on his fingers, pausing once he catches sight of the camera. "Oh yeah. I'm voting for Gwen. Justin told me to vote for her since, uuuuuuh… he said so. Sorry Gwen."_

 _He lets out a loud burp, shaking the camera._

* * *

 **Cody**

 _Cody sits asleep on the confessional, loudly snoring to himself. He suddenly wakes up with a jolt, looking confused before realizing his whereabouts. "Oh right, the ceremony thing…"_

 _He yawns, eyelids drooping once again. "I'm voting for Lindsay… I'm… I'm so tired…"_

 _He finally slumps over, unconscious once again._

* * *

 **Trent**

 _Trent sighs as he sits up on the stall. "Man, it sucks that we've gotta vote someone off. Oh well, I'm voting for Lindsay. Sorry."_

* * *

 **Beth**

 _Beth nods to herself, beaming a brace-covered smile. "I'm voting for Gwen! Hope you get better soon!"_

* * *

 **Justin**

 _Justin grins confidently at the camera. "I'm keeping up my end of the deal. I'm voting for Gwen."_

* * *

 **Noah**

 _Noah glares darkly at the floor, looking murderous. He refuses giving the camera even a glance before venomously spitting out a name._

" _Gwen."_

 _He growls before storming out the stall. Justin can be seen standing by the entrance, looking satisfied._

* * *

 **Izzy**

 _Izzy cackles as she hangs upside-down from the confessional. "Izzy votes for Heather!"_

 _The ceiling suddenly gives way, resulting in the auburn-haired girl falling head-first into the toilet screeching._

* * *

 **Leshawna**

 _Leshawna glares at the camera, crossing her arms. "Heather. That white girl has got to go."_

 _She looks up at the ceiling with a frown. "What's up with the broken roof though?"_

* * *

 **Heather**

 _Heather files her nails, looking bored. "Weird goth girl, obviously."_

* * *

 **Lindsay**

 _Lindsay smiles obliviously at the camera. "I'm voting for Gary!"_

 _She pauses. "Wait, it wasn't Gary. Geff? No, what was it again…?"_

" _Oh yeah, Gwan! I'm voting for her."_

* * *

 **Gwen**

 _Gwen hums thoughtfully. "Well… I guess I'm voting for Lindsay. Heather's… well, Heather, but she did a pretty good job in today's challenge."_

 _She frowns. "I can't believe I just said that."_

* * *

 **Ending Notes:** Gwen and Owen won't be the last two, if anyone's curious. That's why I had to kick her off here, and why she couldn't be winner of the Awake-a-thon. Noah's also got a secret he doesn't want anyone to know about. Oh, how the tables have tabled.

Also, an easy trivia question about this story: **There is a running gag in this story unique to Ezekiel. Can anyone name it?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes:** This was a doozy to write. Hope you guys enjoyed it, and as always; all constructive criticism is welcome!

Congratulations to **chainforced** , ** StayOuttaMyShed,** and a **Guest ** by the way, for correctly naming Zeke's - er, I mean _Ezekiel's_ running gag.

* * *

 **Recap:**

" _Last time on Total Drama Island: The Killer Bass finally dodged their pathetic losing streak against the Gophers. There were bruises, tears, risky moves, and dangerous alliances! And in the end it was wannabee-goth girl Gwen who lost the game and got sent home. This week, another challenge will send one more camper on a cruise to Loserville; population: four!"_

" _Who will sink? And who will stay afloat? Find out right now, on Total! Drama! Island!"_

* * *

 **Screaming Gopher's Cabin (Boy's Side)**

Noah glared daggers at the occupied bed across him, brows furrowing in anger as he quietly seethed on his own bed.

* * *

 **Confessional: Noah**

 _Noah lets out a low growl, arms crossed in silent fury. "If that male bimbo thinks he can continually blackmail me without repercussions, he's got another thing coming."_

 _He looks away, a nervous frown tugging at his face. "…But I can't help but wonder how he managed to find out in the first place…"_

* * *

 **Screaming Gopher's Cabin (Girl's Side)**

"Okay, this is so way beyond bad!"

Lindsay let out a whimper as she held up an empty tube of tanner, waking up an irritated Heather sleeping across from her. "I'm out of fake tanner already!"

The queen bee glared, holding up her pink sleeping mask as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's _tragic_."

"Now I have to actually like, suntan! In the sun!" The blonde sighed despairingly, standing up to toss the empty container in the trash bin. "Do you realize how shriveled and wrinkly that can make your skin?"

She pouted as she took a seat on her friend's bed. "You're _sooo_ lucky though. You already have perfect skin! You have to tell me your secret!"

Heather let out a confident snort. "Sorry Lindsay, but it's all natural."

The other girl let out a disappointed whine as the queen bee allowed a small smile to discreetly move up her face.

A loud screech suddenly blared through the campsite, shocking the two girls as the irritatingly familiar voice of their host boomed out the island's speakers.

" _BEAUTY SLEEP'S OVER CAMPERS! IT'S TIME FOR TODAY'S CHALLENGE, AND BE READY TO DANCE WITH THE STARS!"_

* * *

 **Stadium Area**

As the remaining nineteen teenagers sat around the audience area in front of a large stage, Lindsay turned to Heather with a cheerful grin on her face.

"Are we gonna see a musical?" she squealed excitedly. "I _love_ musicals! _Especially_ ones with singing and dancing."

The Korean teen gave her teammate a blank stare as the curtains surrounding the stage drew back, revealing a grinning Chris.

"Welcome campers, to our brand new, state of the art, outdoor amphitheatre!"

The host gestured to the stage in a 'behold' motion, and immediately after he spoke a light came crashing to the ground.

The teens looked on, unimpressed.

Chris pouted at their reactions before beginning to speak. "This week's challenge is a summer camp favorite: a talent contest! Both teams will be given eight hours to pick the three most talented campers. These three will represent them in the show tonight. Anything's fine as long as no one dies in the process. Losing your humanity and turning into a feral imp incapable of speech, along with losing most of your body parts and getting stuck in a nifty trauma chair is totally okay and _not_ lawsuit-worthy in my book!"

Ezekiel raised an eyebrow. "That was oddly specific, eh."

"You'll be judged be our resident talent scout, former DJ, BJ, and rap legend; Grand Master Chef! He will show his approval via, our Chef-o-Meter. The team that loses will have to send one camper home tonight. Good luck, and break a leg!"

* * *

 **Screaming Gopher's Cabin (Outside)**

"Okay," Heather nodded to herself as she stood in front of her team, a professional-looking clipboard on hand. "I'm the team captain, so here's how it's gonna work-"

A frowning Leshawna quickly cut her off, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Who died and made _you_ team captain?"

The Asian teen raised an eyebrow, annoyed at the interruption. "If you _must_ know, I was voted team captain fair and square. Ask Lindsay and Beth. Isn't that right girls?"

Her two teammates nodded cheerfully in agreement.

The black girl stared at the pair before crossing her arms, grunting in reluctant acceptance. That didn't stop her from glaring daggers at the other girl, however.

* * *

 **Confessional: Leshawna**

 _Leshawna growls darkly at the camera. "I don't trust that white girl, Heather. I have a feeling she's the one behind my home girl's elimination, and if I don't watch my back, I might be next."_

 _She growls. "But Leshawna's **not** going down without a fight."_

* * *

The queen bee gave her suspicious teammate a wide grin. "Good! Now that we got that tiny issue in the way, Beth, Lindsay, and I will be the judges. You guys will perform in front of us, and we'll see whether your talent is good enough to use at the challenge. Anyone have any objections?"

No one spoke up.

Heather looked satisfied. "Good."

* * *

 **Killer Bass's Cabin (Outside)**

"Okay," Courtney placed her hands on her hips, giving each of her teammates a stern and calculative look. "Who wants to go first?" She turned to the closest camper in front of her. "Zeke, do you know how to do anything impressive?"

"It's Ezekiel. And I'm an archer, but uh…" The homeschooler paused, remembering how he came to be on Total Drama in the first place. "I don't have the _best_ aim."

"Oh, that's _wonderful_." The CIT rolled her eyes. "Can you do anything else then?"

He tapped his chin in thought before speaking. "I guess I can sing, eh."

"Alright, show us. But do it quickly."

The prairie boy nodded and took a deep breath.

* * *

 **Screaming Gopher's Cabin (Outside)**

As Owen chugged down an entire bottle of soda, an exhausted-looking Trent walked over to his watching teammates with a saddened look on his face, taking a seat next to a empathetic Cody.

The brunette patted the guitarist's back in an attempt at comfort.

Noah scoffed, rolling his eyes at the pair as the huge blonde finished his drink with an audible gulp. Owen then proceeded to burp out the alphabet, effectively grossing out Heather and her alliance-mates. Everyone else seemed mostly impressed, cheering loudly as the male bowed.

The queen bee gagged. "You are _not_ doing that in this contest! That's _disgusting_!"

The blonde shrugged then bent over with a grin. "If you want, I can also toot Beethoven's Fifth!"

" _ **NO!"**_

The Indian teen stood up, looking done with his team's shenanigans as he made his way past the other campers.

Before the male Gopher could leave however, Heather quickly stepped between the brunette's path, an annoyed frown on her face. "And where do you think _you're_ going? We're having an important meeting here!"

Noah rolled his eyes. "Simple, I have nothing to bring to the table, meaning that my presence here will ultimately be fruitless. Translation; I have no real talent and _goodbye_."

The queen bee growled as the male brushed past her, making his way off over to the docks.

Justin frowned.

* * *

 **Killer Bass's Cabin (Outside)**

Courtney blinked as Ezekiel finished his song, mouth gaping as her teammates were left in stunned silence.

"That was… That was actually pretty good. I mean, your accent's a little too thick for my liking but-"

"That was wicked man!" Harold congratulated. "You definitely have to be in the talent show now."

The prairie boy looked sheepish as most of his teammates nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, that means Ezekiel's the first one in. Who wants to go next?"

A certain male athlete loudly cleared his throat, strutting up to the front of his team. The girls raised their eyebrows, obviously not taken by the brunette's show of bravado.

Tyler didn't seem to notice the bored looks directed at him, practically brimming with confidence as he took out his yo-yo, swinging it around as he began to attempt a series of impressive tricks.

Unfortunately for the athlete, the only thing impressive about his performance was how fast he messed up, ending up tangled within the toy's strings.

Courtney face-palmed, shaking her head.

A passing-by Chris pointed at the boy with an unimpressed frown. "Man, that is weak."

* * *

 **Screaming Gopher's Cabin (Outside)**

The Gophers looked impressed as Heather did a petite ballet dance in front of the team, pirouetting around her fellow campers before finally ending her performance with a graceful bow.

Most of her teammates clapped politely as the queen bee giggled, putting on a modest front. "Oh thank you."

"I vote for Heather to be in the contest!" Lindsay quickly announced, looking genuinely impressed by Heather's ballet skills.

Beth nodded. "I second that."

"Aw that's so _sweet_. Okay, so I guess I'm in."

"Why don't we all take a break for now then?" Justin gave his team a charismatic smile. "I'm sure we're all tired from showing off our skills."

Heather looked suspicious at the Hawaiian teen's sudden suggestion, but shrugged and walked off to join the other girls of her team.

The male supermodel grinned, setting his sights on a certain dark-skinned brunette sitting by the docks.

* * *

 **Killer Bass's Cabin (Outside)**

DJ gracefully pranced around as his pink ribbon danced in the wind, his teammates looking varying degrees of confused and impressed as the gentle giant finished his ribbon dance with a whipping motion, followed by an impressive split.

Courtney didn't look as particularly taken with the performance, but shrugged in acceptance. "Fine. Sign him up. Who's next?"

"Oh, me!" Bridgette looked excited as she ran in front of her Bass teammates. "I can stand on my hands for twenty minutes!"

The blonde then proceeded to do a hand-stand beside the black teen, the CIT rolling her eyes as she waved the other girl off. "Standing on your hands. It's definitely _interesting_ , but not quite what we're looking for. Next!"

Harold wordlessly walked over to the surfer. He pointed upwards, took a deep breath, and-

"NEXT!"

The red-head let out a deflated whine as he trudged back to the rest of his observing teammates. Ezekiel looked ready to call Courtney out for the unfair decision, but stopped once the nerd rested a defeated hand on the brunette's shoulder.

The CIT turned back to the rest of the Bass teenagers. "Anyone else?"

Sadie excitedly raised a hand. "Ooh, me and Katie! We've been working on this like, totally cute and cool dance routine-"

"Yeah, I don't think so. Next!"

The bigger girl frowned, huffing indignantly as she glared at the brunette. Courtney ignored her. "Anyone? Anyone at all? No?"

The teen shrugged. "Okay then. I guess that makes it my violin solo, Ezekiel's singing, and DJ's ribbon dance."

* * *

 **Screaming Gopher's Cabin (Outside)**

"I call this," Izzy snickered, flicking on the radio. "The dance of the rattlesnake!"

She mimicked the hiss of a rattlesnake, wildly wiggling her body to the rhythm of the exotic music. Owen laughed, entranced by the girl's show as he elbowed an observing Cody. "She's good!"

Heather shrugged. "Eh. Maybe." The teen turned to her brunette alliance-mate. "Beth, you're up."

The brace-covered girl grinned, taking out two batons.

The queen bee yawned. "Baton twirling? Boring."

Beth then proceeded to set the two batons on fire, wildly twirling them around in her hands as the rest of her teammates immediately hid behind objects for cover. Heather yelped as one of the flaming sticks just barely whizzed past her fast. "Are you sure that's safe?!"

"Of course!" Beth laughed. "I've been practicing!" She proceeded to throw the flaming batons into the air, both quickly whirling out of control before turning into flaming missiles as they fell back to earth.

The Gophers let out fearful screams as they ran for the hills, desperate to avoid the burning spears. One of the batons landed with a dull 'poof', burning the forest floor around it to a black crisp before extinguishing. Beth gulped a safe distance away, glancing around her teammates with an awkward smile. "I kinda missed the catching class."

The campers eventually moved away from their safe hiding spots, gathering around the spot where the flames had burned through. Trent raised an eyebrow, pointing to another flaming spot close by. "The bush is on fire."

Justin suddenly burst out one of the spare cabins, a fire extinguisher on hand as he quickly sprayed out the container's contents onto the burning greenery. Once he finished the task, he accepted a water bottle from a love-struck Leshawna before making a show out of ripping his shirt off.

The black girl fanned herself as she, along with Heather's female alliance and Owen, gawked at the sight of the supermodel's well-toned chest and abs. Heather gave the male a dreamy look as she spoke. "Okay, so I think it's me, Trent, and Justin. Any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads.

* * *

 **Dock of Shame**

Noah quietly scribbled on a small blue notebook as he sat by the dock's edge, an irritated frown on his face as he stabbed the pencil into the paper's smooth surface.

Owen raised an eyebrow as he approached the smaller boy with a curious grin. "Whatcha' up to Noah?"

The brunette regarded him with a blank look before going to back writing. The blonde pouted at the response, taking a seat next to the fellow Gopher. "Aw c'mon man, you don't need to act so mean."

"…If you must know," the Indian teen finally grumbled, no real bite to his words. "I just _occasionally_ feel the need to write out my thoughts when under some pressure."

The bigger teen looked concerned. "You okay dude?"

Noah shrugged. "It's nothing I can't handle."

"Alright." Owen nudged the brunette, grinning cheekily. "I won't tell anyone about your _diary_."

The Indian teen rolled his eyes, hiding an amused smile behind his long bangs. "Shut up."

The pair sat in a comfortable silence before Owen spoke up again. "Hey, wanna go swimming? We've got eight hours before the talent show, so we've got time to unwind!" He teasingly pointed at the worry lines on Noah's forehead. "And judging by the looks of _that_ , you need it."

The brunette let out a rare chuckle, playfully swatting away the blonde's hands. "If I _must_." He stood, notebook still in his hands. "I'll just drop this off and change. I'll be right back."

Owen nodded, giving the other boy a thumbs-up as he treated back towards the cabin.

The brunette was in and out in several minutes, walking back towards his blonde friend with a towel on hand. The bigger teen laughed once again as the pair began to converse, oblivious to the narrowing blue eyes observing them from just behind their team cabin's porch.

* * *

 **Confessional: Justin**

 _Justin smiles arrogantly as he winks at the pocket mirror in front of him, seemingly ignoring the camera's presence entirely. After several minutes of him just checking himself out, he turns straight towards the device with an threatening frown._

" _I heard what Noah said in this morning's confessional." He comments. "And I don't much appreciate people insulting my beautiful masterpiece of a face."_

 _He grins almost sadistically, the mirror's handle trembling under his tight grip. "My mom's a dog trainer, and if there's one thing I learned about training animals, it's that you need to give them a little discipline in order to make a loyal, well-trained pet."_

 _The supermodel chuckles darkly as he reaches into his pocket and holds up a small notebook._

 _He simply gives the camera an innocent smile._

* * *

 **Amphitheatre Area [Late Afternoon]**

Katie let out a sad sigh as she watched Courtney tune her violin onstage, gently squeezing Sadie's hand in hers as she looked on in envy. "I wish we could dance for the talent show…"

Sadie nodded, looking equally downcast. "Yeah… If Courtney just gave us a chance, she would've been like, so blown away. I mean we're like the best dancers we know!" The bigger of the pair huffed, crossing her arms as she stuck her tongue out at the CIT. "I bet the only reason she didn't let us perform is 'cause she's still sore about Eva."

Bridgette glanced at the pair with a sympathetic look in her eyes. "Why don't you two dance for us now, then?" The surfer smiled. "You may not be able to perform in the talent show, but at least you can show off to us. Maybe show Courtney a thing or two."

The BFFLs let out excited gasps. "You really mean it?"

DJ paused in his ribbon dance, grinning at the two girls. "I don't see why not."

Geoff laughed in agreement, giving the pair a friendly thumbs up.

Katie and Sadie beamed at their supportive teammates before running offstage to retrieve a radio. The girls ran back as quickly as they left, placing the device on the stage's center as they ran to their memorized dance positions.

As the BFFL's upbeat music played in the background, the two girls happily danced to the song's rhythm. Bridgette clapped politely, chuckling as she observed the pair enjoying the moment.

Their performance went on for a few minutes until Sadie winked, signaling for Katie's grand finale. The dark-skinned girl grinned, Sadie gesturing towards her as she began to spin.

The watching Bass members glanced around in confusion and worry as the whirlwind known as Katie sped up, unconsciously gravitating towards the stage's side. As she neared the stage's edge, a rope had gotten tangled around her arm, making her fall flat on her face.

The spotlight that was once held up by said rope began to sway, the Bass gawking in silent horror once they realized just who was under said lighting device.

Courtney seemed blissfully ignorant to what was happening as she continued to play on with her violin, oblivious to the heavy piece of equipment about to give way right above her.

Just then, an equally unaware Ezekiel walked in front of the CIT as the spotlight finally fell from its place, landing onto the pair with a loud crack.

"Oh _crap_!"

All members of the Killer Bass gathered around the two campers, frantic over their current states. DJ was the first to speak, looking just about ready to have a panic-induced meltdown. "A-Are you guys okay?!"

Courtney rubbed her nose, looking dazed but otherwise uninjured. Her violin was still clutched tightly in her hands, looking a little worse for wear but otherwise unscathed.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Ezekiel. The prairie boy had taken a direct hit and was now face-down on the wooden flooring, whimpering in pain from the sudden blow to the head.

Harold quickly moved into action, ushering the crowded teenagers away from the injured brunette. "Gosh guys, give him some room."

"I-It's okay, I just…" He trailed off as he attempted to sit up, only to end up falling back to the floor with an agonizing whine. "Ow."

"Ezekiel sure took one heck of a header there," Chris joked, grinning as he approached the Killer Bass. The team shot the host several dark looks, which were of course ignored. "Anyway, it's probably just a minor concussion. It shouldn't be a big deal…"

The campers let out relieved sighs.

"…if you didn't sign him up for the talent show that's in fifteen minutes. Dude needs to rest for a couple hours before he can get up and running again."

They all groaned.

Harold sighed, looping an arm around the whimpering homeschooler. "I'll bring him back to the cabin to get some sleep. I'll be right back."

Courtney turned to her teammates, distressed expression clear on her face as the pair walked off. "What the _heck_ are we gonna do now?! We've only got fifteen minutes before the challenge!" She turned to Katie with a furious glare. "This is all **your** fault!"

Bridgette quickly stepped between the two girls, not wanting the Bass to once again be thrown in disarray. "Look, now's not the time to be arguing. I'll be the one to stand in for Zeke, how does that sound?"

The CIT looked frustrated, pinching the bridge of her nose with a low growl. "Fine." She shot the dark-skinned girl a threatening look. "But this isn't over. I'd watch my back if I were you."

Katie gulped.

* * *

 **Amphitheatre Area [Early Sundown]**

Courtney swallowed as she observed the other competitors practice onstage, turning to Bridgette with a nervous frown. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Hey, I can _do_ this," The surfer held up a chip before popping it in her mouth and chewing. "I won't let you guys down, trust me."

"Hi Bridgette," Heather greeted cheerfully. "Oh, too bad about the accident. I guess Katie's getting her fifteen seconds of fame after all, huh?"

"What are you insinuating?"

"Oh nothing." The queen bee shrugged nonchalantly. "No one would sabotage their own teammate. Unless they already did it once before. After all, a leopard doesn't lose its spots. But what do I know?"

Heather giggled innocently as she walked away, leaving the two Bass girls to ponder her words.

* * *

 **Confessional: Heather**

 _Heather rolls her eyes. "What a bunch of losers. It's so easy it's almost not fun."_

 _She chuckles darkly. "Almost."_

* * *

"It's the TDI talent extravaganza!" Chris announced, grinning as he made his way to the stage's center.

"Welcome to the very first Camp Wawanakwa Talent Contest; where six campers will showcase their mad skills, and desperately try not to humiliate themselves while doing it. First up for the Screaming Gophers: Heather!"

Most of the campers applauded as Heather walked onstage, dressed in the outfit of a dainty ballerina. Classical music played on in the background as she began her elegant dance, making a pirouette here and there before ending with a graceful bow.

Chris laughed, pointing up at the Chef-o-Meter. "Looks like Heather's dance scored a good six for the Gophers. It's a good start, but can the next Bass player top it? Let's hear it for the big guy: DJ!"

The Killer Bass all cheered excitedly as DJ burst out from the sides, majestically twirling around his ribbon as he quickly pranced around the stage. The performance seemed to be going well for the most part, until the ribbon got caught up in said camper's leg, resulting in a not-so-graceful face-plant onto the stage's wooden flooring.

The black male immediately tried to recover, only to end the botched dance with an awkward pose.

Chris walked up to the black male with a raised eyebrow, looking amused. "Dainty, and yet masculine. Let's see what Grand Master Chef thinks!"

The host gestured upwards at the scoring meter, which only shone a measly two green lights. He looked unimpressed. "Not much. So with two down and four acts to go, it's the Screaming Gophers screaming ahead! Next on deck: Trent!"

The Gophers cheered as the musician slowly trudged upstage, guitar on hand. He let out a downtrodden sigh as he began to play.

" _They say we've only got summer,"_

" _And I know, that's really a bummer,"_

" _We could've swam in the sun, and had lots of fun,"_

" _It would've been, just the two of us,"_

" _Nothing to do but hang,"_

" _So, let me say only this,"_

" _Why didn't you,"_

" _Stick around for just one kiss."_

The amphitheatre went awkwardly silent as the guitarist finished, most campers aware of who the song was most likely dedicated to. Chris raised an eyebrow at the depressing lyrics. "A little too much teen angst for my taste, but it seems like Grand Master Chef somewhat likes it, giving the Gophers a five outta nine!"

Trent nodded before silently retreating back to the audience area. "Three down and three to go, and the Killer Bass are totally _sucking_ so far. Let's hear it for Bridgette!"

Bridgette swallowed nervously as she eyed the other campers expectantly staring at the stage, her stomach churning uncomfortably as Courtney regarded her with a worried look. "Are you going to be okay?"

The surfer girl gave her teammate a nervous thumbs-up. "D-Definitely. N-No, I'm… great!"

The blonde nodded to herself, taking a deep breath as she flipped over to stand with her hands. She quickly walked out to the stage, a nervous smile playing at her lips as she stared straight at her fellow campers.

As she stood upside-down on the stage, the girl let out an uneasy burp. Cody and Owen snickered.

Bridgette belched once again. Several uneventful seconds passed before finally, the surfer began to vomit.

The campers watching looked horrified as the blonde's barf suddenly went airborne and turned into a disgusting projectile of body fluid, splattering on several unfortunate members of the audience.

Owen screamed as he was hit, letting out a dramatic cry before collapsing on top of a very annoyed Noah. Katie and Sadie were also struck, Katie looking particularly grossed-out before barfing herself. Leshawna was also hit on the Gopher's side, resulting in the teenagers sitting around her quickly dispersing in disgust.

With the stage now completely covered in puke, the blonde's hands slipped under the wet surface, launching her onto the audience and into Tyler's arms.

Lindsay gasped, looking saddened as she bowed her head in disappointment. Heather grinned from behind the curtains.

Chris pinched his nose as he tip-toed around the vomit, looking utterly disgusted yet amused at the Bass member's 'performance'. "Clean up on aisles three, four, five, and six! In the meantime, we'll take a short commercial break to hose the joint down. _Eugh_."

* * *

 **Commercial**

 _A girl in a huge cow costume walked onscreen, a picture of a magnificent-looking cake serving as a backdrop as she sang._

" _Hungry for a tasty snack~? See bright tigers, dolphins, yaks~! Come inside, please join me, at Darwin's Food Safa~ri!"_

 _The girl grinned as she gestured to the food behind her. "Let us put a smile on your plate – uh, I-I mean a face on your plate! A-A smile o-on your face! W-WOAHWOAH-"_

 _The size of her costume's head seemingly too heavy for her to handle, the girl collapsed face-first onto the floor while wildly flailing her arms. Apparently refusing to accept that she had messed up, the girl seemed triumphant._

" _Nailed it!"_

 _She proceeded to fart._

* * *

The stage now completely barf-free, the host paraded back on with his usual accommodating grin. "Welcome back! Okay, so in a strange turn of events Bridgette's puke fest somehow registered a two-pointer from Grand Master Chef. _But_ , it's not enough to pull ahead of the Screaming Gophers, who hold the lead from their two performers. So without further delay, here's the second best-looking guy in camp - next to yours truly of course: Justin!"

Said Hawaiian teen chuckled as he sauntered upstage, giving the cheering audience a charismatic wink as he focused on one glowering Gopher male in particular. He grinned, taking a seat on a chair placed at the amphitheatre's center.

The brunette cleared his throat, silencing the observing campers.

"A dramatic reading," Justin announced, taking out a blue notebook. He grinned at the watching Noah. "With words written by my _dear_ friend, Noah."

The Indian teen paled in realization, looking pleadingly at the other boy.

"I can't believe this." the Hawaiian mockingly read out. "I've only known that idiot for a couple of days, but there's no denying it. It's undeniably _aggravating_ to admit, but… I think I've fallen for that moron."

Justin trailed off for dramatic effect, obviously enjoying watching his victim squirm uncomfortably in his seat.

"It's just so _illogical_. We're completely different in all aspects; intelligence, personality, interests… But I'd be lying to myself if I said there wasn't something about that fool that just captivates me."

The male supermodel let out a dreamy sigh as he continued. "That moron's warm smile, their unlimited kindness, the way they always know how to make me laugh… It's disgustingly sappy to write out, but I always end up feeling butterflies flutter around my stomach when I'm near that idiot…"

Owen let out an impressed chuckle, elbowing the frozen brunette sitting beside him with an oblivious grin. "I didn't know you were so poetic, Noah!"

"I…" Noah stood up, looking completely out of it as he quietly stammered. "I need to go."

Before the bigger teen could say anything else, the smaller Gopher broke into a run, desperate to get away from the questioning eyes of his fellow campers.

"Thank you." Justin grinned, closing the notebook with a satisfied hum before smugly sauntering offstage.

"Well then." Chris muttered, looking slightly confused by the strange performance. "I didn't seem to get it, and neither than Grand Master Chef, giving the Gophers a measly point of one! But will that even matter with the Bass's crappy track record? It's down to the final act of the night. Can Courtney with her mad virtuoso skills turn it around?"

The host grinned. "I seriously doubt it. Let's find out!"

Courtney swallowed nervously, taking a deep breath in before placing the violin in between her chin and shoulder, wanting to play just one note as a confidence booster before she went on.

Right as she pressed the bow against the instrument's strings, the violin snapped in two, its broken neck clattering to the ground with a pathetic clunk.

Courtney gaped. "…Oh [ **BLEEP** ]."

Bridgette let out a fearful gasp, bringing two shocked hands to her hanging jaw. "W-What are we going to do now?! We have to send someone out there or we're going to lose this!" The blonde bit her lip. "Katie and Sadie are covered in barf, so they're out. That leaves only Tyler, Geoff, and Harold. We already knows Tyler sucks - what about Geoff?"

The party animal scratched his head. "Well, I know some rad skateboard tricks, but my board's over at the cabin-"

"We don't have the time!" Courtney hissed, dropping the broken pieces of her treasured instrument on the floor in panic. "Oh crap, what are we going to do?!"

After a few seconds of tense silence, both girls seemed to come to the same conclusion as they peered out from the amphitheatre's sides.

They stared at a bored-looking Harold who seemed to be picking out a wedgie in his underwear.

The CIT let out a defeated sigh as the surfer ran off from the stage, quickly explaining the situation to the red-head before shoving him over to a mike.

The nerd blinked, expression resembling that of a deer caught in car headlights.

He awkwardly glanced around with a frown.

"Just go for it Harold!" The brunette encouraged, flashing a uneasy smile. "What have you got to lose?"

Harold nodded, taking a deep breath.

" _Puh_."

Everyone raised an eyebrow.

Right then and there, Harold began to perform a wicked beatbox, stunning all the members of audience into a shocked silence. This continued on until the teen finished his performance with a triumphant 'booyah', smiling unsurely at the other watching teens.

They sat in silence for several seconds before erupting into loud applause, making the Bass member grin happily in response.

"Wicked beatboxing dude!" Chris complimented, pointing back up at the completely filled Chef-o-Meter. "Check it out, Grand Master Chef has declared his winner! Even though they held the lead, the Screaming Gophers have been trampled by the Killer Bass!"

The campers of the Killer Bass practically exploded, cheering as they ran around Harold, yelling out their congratulations and messages of gratitude as the host turned to the Gophers with a smile. "As for the Screaming Gophers; pick your favorite loser, and I'll see you at the bonfire."

The losing team bowed their heads.

* * *

 **Confessional: Justin**

 _Justin holds up a pocket mirror, looking confident as he admires his reflection. "Some people might think I went too far with what happened to Noah, but who cares? Owen's the only real friend he has, and I already have him eating out of the palm of my gorgeous hand."_

 _He laughs._

* * *

 **Bonfire Ceremony**

"Kudos to you all for an incredible night of entertainment," Chris commented, eyeing each of the squishy treat-holding Gophers with an amused smile. "Music, drama, and barfing. But there is only one marshmallow left on this plate."

Trent and Justin stared at each other, the pair being the only two members of their team without a marshmallow.

"Trent. Although you gave the Gophers a good score with your musical performance, you pretty much depressed everyone watching. Not exactly good for team morale, dude."

The musician shrugged.

"And Justin. Although your looks charmed pretty much everyone at the camp, reading a dude's diary out loud to the whole world is a pretty jerk move. No kidding. That's really messed up dude."

Justin rolled his eyes, yawning. "Can I have my marshmallow now? I need my beauty sleep."

Chris raised an eyebrow, ignoring the supermodel. "The last marshmallow goes to…"

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"…Okay, there would've been a longer pause but at this point, it's pretty obvious who the lucky camper is."

He threw the final marshmallow over to the grinning dark-skinned teen. "Justin."

The host turned to the sighing Trent. "Time to catch the Boat of Losers brah."

Justin laughed, happily tossing the treat in his mouth as he ignored the glowering Noah behind him. " _Aloha_ , Trent. That means hello, and _buh_ - _bye_."

The guitarist nodded sadly, making his way down the Dock of Shame as he walked over to the stationary boat waiting for him. His head was bowed down in disappointment, until a familiar voice spoke up.

"Looks like we're in the same boat now, huh?"

Gwen gave him a small smile, black-haired male's eyes widening in surprise as his former teammate stuck out a hand. "G-Gwen? What are you doing here? I thought-"

The goth shushed him as she pulled him up on the boat. "Hey. All you need to know is that we losers stick together."

Trent looked stunned for a moment before grinning, squeezing Gwen's hand within his own as the pair stared into each other's eyes..

As the boat pulled away from the dock, Chris turned to the camera. "Now wasn't that just touching? Looks like it's the end of another dramatic episode. Who will be voted off next? Will Justin get what's coming to him? And will Leshawna's distrust of Heather get the better of her? Find out next time on Total! Drama! Island!"

* * *

 **Voting Confessionals**

* * *

 **Lindsay**

" _Heather told me to vote for Trevor." Lindsay states, looking saddened._

 _She sighs, looking down at the stall's floor with a downcast expression. "But I still can't believe Taylor and Britney are dating… Even while he flirted with me!"_

 _The blonde crosses her arms. "I'm glad Heather told me about them. Cheating is like, the worst thing you could do to someone, even if they are super cute."_

* * *

 **Beth**

 _Beth awkwardly scratches her chin. "I feel bad about voting for Trent, but I guess it's for his own good."_

 _She smiles guiltily. "At least he'll be able to see Gwen again."_

* * *

 **Cody**

" _I hate to say this, but I'm voting for Trent." Cody admits quietly. "He's been acting like such a sad sack since Gwen got voted off. I mean, I like Gwen too but I know she's not exactly into me. It's better this way, I guess."_

 _He crosses his arms. "But what Justin did was seriously messed up. I'd vote for him if I could."_

* * *

 **Owen**

" _I dunno what the deal is with Justin reading that notebook," Owen comments obliviously, chewing on a slice of cake. "I thought the poem Noah wrote was pretty good. I mean, it kinda sounded more like a diary than a poem, but it was still pretty great."_

 _He pauses to swallow. "Oh yeah, Justin also told me to vote for Trent. Sorry man."_

* * *

 **Izzy**

 _Izzy laughs as she does a handstand in the stall. "I'm voting for Justin!"_

 _The wild girl suddenly loses her balance, falling right onto the camera as the screen turns to static._

* * *

 **Noah**

 _Noah bows his heard, staring despairingly at the ground. "…Trent."_

 _He says nothing more, looking both angered by Justin's 'performance', along with terrified of what else his teammate had in store for him._

* * *

 **Leshawna**

 _Leshawna shoots a distrusting glare at the camera. "I'm voting for Heather. She might not have done anything yet, but Leshawna's not waitin' around for that devious white girl to make the first move!"_

 _She stares at the camera for a few seconds before frowning. "…But I've gotta admit, Justin's one screwed up guy, no matter how hot."_

* * *

 **Heather**

 _Heather flips her hair, looking bored. "Trent. I would vote for ghetto girl, but unlike Mr. Deadweight, at least she's still got some uses."_

" _I have to say though," the queen bee mutters, looking annoyed. "I didn't like Justin's little 'performance'. I'm the main villain here, and I don't like sharing the spotlight."_

* * *

 **Justin**

" _Trent." Justin states, refusing to spare the camera even a single glance as he admires his reflections on his own two pocket mirrors._

* * *

 **Trent**

" _Justin, I guess." Trent mutters uncaringly. He sighs, looking down at the stall's floor._

* * *

 **Ending Notes:** Ezekiel's one unlucky pain magnet, eh? Also, Noah strikes me as the kind of guy to write everything down while still remaining as passive-aggressive as possible.


End file.
